June 11, 2008 03:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time 

World's Hotels Can Now Offer Premium HD Programming to Guests

MARINA DEL REY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hotels across North America, Europe and the Middle East can now offer their guests premium high definition programming, thanks to a new partnership between Tangerine Global — the leader in delivering premium high-definition television (HDTV) programming to the global hospitality marketplace — and Swisscom Hospitality Service, the hospitality industry's leading provider of broadband Internet-based services. The announcement was made today by Leo Brand, Chief Executive Officer, Swisscom Hospitality Services, and Stuart Levin, Chief Executive Officer, Tangerine Global.

The partnership marks the launch of Swisscom's new HD video over IPTV technology system. The company, which currently provides internet access in more than 2,000 active properties encompassing 210,000 hotel rooms in such well-known chains as Hyatt, Hilton, Holiday Inn, Intercontinental and Marriott, among others, is now expanding its hotel and guest room business to offer a complete set of innovative guest services over the same IP-based network infrastructure. Within its new IPTV and entertainment offering, Swisscom is tapping into content from Tangerine Global's plethora of unique, luxury oriented HD programming. Tangerine HD programming, including popular and engaging content spanning adventure, sports and travel to fashion, food and wine, will become available in selected Swisscom partner locations throughout North America, Europe and the Middle East in the third quarter of 2008.

“Swisscom has built a true next generation guest entertainment offering by combining reliable, cutting edge technology with a focus on enhancing and personalizing the guest experience. Tangerine Global’s luxury entertainment programming is a true differentiator for our solution, allowing us to propose a more segmented, high-quality program offer to our hotel partners in full HD,” said Brand.

"There's a revolution occurring in the global marketplace and Tangerine Global is spearheading a seismic shift in how the hospitality industry delivers entertainment and information programming to its luxury clientele," said Levin. "Swisscom is a major force in the hospitality sector whose attention to quality and innovation align perfectly with Tangerine Global’s commitment to deliver a compelling entertainment experience to upscale hotel guests around the world."

That revolution is the hospitality industry's shift to a URL-based delivery system to supply guests with the latest high definition entertainment, news and information. Transforming the traditional in-house television screen into a multiuse display showcase, hotel guests will be able to enjoy high definition entertainment content, news and local information, access the Internet and their e-mail, manage their hotel account and services, and even add ambient elements to their guest rooms.

As the first to bring HD programming to Hong Kong using IPTV technology, Tangerine Global will be testing a variety of scenarios through its partnership with Swisscom Hospitality, a subsidiary of Switzerland's leading telecom provider, Swisscom. Tangerine Global’s content is currently featured in select Mandarin Oriental hotels, Peninsula hotels, and other leading luxury hotels across the globe. In addition to Tangerine Global’s giant library of luxury HD programming, they also provide films and specialty titles in over a dozen genres.

About Swisscom Hospitality Services

Swisscom (www.swisscom.com/hospitality) is a world leader in converged technology solutions for the hospitality industry. Leveraging more than 150 years of experience, we help our clients design, build and manage unified data networks to run their hotels better and more profitably. Every day, more than 2,000 hotels, with 210,000 guestrooms throughout North America and Europe, rely on Swisscom to meet the full range of their communications needs. We also provide customized communications solutions at more than 10,000 events worldwide.

About Tangerine Global

Tangerine Global is transforming the five-star hospitality marketplace with innovative, premium quality HDTV entertainment and content solutions. With programming custom-tailored to satisfy the most discerning business travelers, Tangerine Global provides its worldwide hotel partners with a rich fusion of HDTV offerings spanning everything from adventure, sports and travel, to fashion, food and wine. The company’s Founder and CEO, Stuart Z. Levin, has more than 25 years experience in cable and satellite television, as well as media distribution. His pioneering innovations have set many of today’s standards for managing and distributing digital networks, pay-per-view (PPV) and video-on-demand (VOD) programming. www.tangerineglobal.com.