BBC Technology and Sun Team Up

BBC Technology, a new commercial subsidiary of the BBC, and Sun Microsystems (www.sun.com) are teaming up to help companies leverage their digital assets. The companies are looking to combine the industry expertise of BBC Technology with Sun's established position in enterprise, IP and service provider solutions.

BBC Technology Ltd. began trading on March 31, 2001 as a wholly BBC-owned commercial subsidiary in order to generate commercial revenue, while continuing to serve all the technological needs of the BBC's public service operations. BBC Technology offers broadcast and digital media technologies including Web hosting, streaming delivery, broadcast services, consulting and more.

Philip Langsdale, CEO of BBC Technology said of the Sun relationship in a statement: "Sun's systems will give our joint customers the industry-leading scalability and functionality they require. Together, we will help companies realize new revenue streams by unlocking the potential of their media content.''

According to the companies, they will leverage their skills in media solutions tailored for broadcasters, traditional media companies, Internet portals, IP service providers and 3rd Generation Wireless operators.

BBC and Sun have worked together for a number of years with BBC being an early provider of interactive TV applications using the Java TV standard. The first customer projects as a result of the recent relationship are already underway in Europe and North America.