THE HAGUE, The Netherlands -- Today, KPN is launching interactive television under the brand name Mine. With this innovative service, KPN is introducing a new way to watch television, built around individual viewer wishes. Subscribers to Mine get a wide range of TV and radio channels, films and information services that they can easily watch whenever it suits them. A subscription to Mine will cost € 19.95 a month.

At launch, Mine subscribers will have over 48 TV and 60 radio channels to choose from, which will be further expanded to 60 TV and 70 radio channels before the summer. Furthermore, Mine also includes ‘FilmDirect’, a video on demand service currently offering some 300 titles, soon to be expanded to 500, for which KPN has reached agreement with parties including Warner Bros. International Television Distribution and Blockbuster Entertainment Ltd. The plans for a joint venture with Endemol for content development and exploitation have been announced previously. KPN expects to announce further tie-ups during the coming months. The ‘Missed Program’ feature enables subscribers to see programs they have missed on the three Dutch public channels up to a month after airing. Pressing the ‘My Info’ button will give viewers up-to-the-minute news as well as weather and regional traffic reports.

The Mine package, offered via ADSL, will include as standard a personal recorder with space for up to a hundred hours of television, with the added bonus of being able to pause live TV broadcasts. The electronic program guide (EPG) shows what’s on at the press of a button. It also has a reminder feature, to warn viewers when a program is about to start.

New viewing experience

Ludolf Rasterhoff, KPN’s TV & Media director: “We are proud of this new TV service. Mine is a whole new way of experiencing TV. It puts an end to the traditional, passive viewing experience which was essentially one-way traffic. Now, the individual viewer decides which program he wants to see and when. With Mine, we aim to make watching TV more enjoyable, focusing on what viewers want.”

KPN Telecom NV (NYSE: KPN)