CABLE & WIRELESS OPTUS MAKES CONVERGENT MEDIA A REALITY

Cable & Wireless Optus has started production of Australia's most ambitious new multi-media project, making it the first to deliver a truly convergent media offer.

Content from a production team at Optus Television will soon be published on four different platforms - Pay TV, dial-up Internet, high-speed cable Internet and WAP.

Optus Television has commenced production of a one-hour weekly leisure program called Space. The program will feature stories from a broad range of categories including show business (showbiz space), lifestyle (living space and personal space) and technology (cyberspace).

Space will be broadcast on Optus Television giving viewers a choice of the best viewing times and will link stories to related websites.

"Cable & Wireless Optus is the first Australian company to truly deliver convergent media content," said Chris Anderson, Chief Executive Cable & Wireless Optus.

"We are excited about giving our customers access to entertaining and quality information across multiple platforms so they can receive information wherever they are, whenever they want, however they want," he said.

Video content from Space will be available on Optus@Home. Subscribers of the high-speed cable service will have access to the content via their PCs. The lightning speed download times of the service means that Space can be viewed quickly, easily and at any time.

Dial-up Internet users can access Space content by visiting the Optus Internet website (powered by Excite Australia). The website will provide facts, figures and updates from the weekly program. Via Optus Networker (mobile WAP service), users can access Space content including the story of the day and stories from each of the Space categories, including personal space, showbiz space and cyberspace.

Space will begin broadcasting mid-year on Optus Television's Entertainment Channel, Oh!

For more information:
Melissa Favero
Cable & Wireless Optus
Phone: (02) 9342 5030