Tata Sky Achieves 3 Million Connections in India on End-to-End NDS Platform

NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, today acknowledged that Tata Sky, the leading provider of Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite pay-TV services in India, has achieved another major milestone in reaching 3 million subscribers within a period of just 27 months. The latest 1 million subscribers were gained in just seven months.

In partnership with NDS, Tata Sky has revolutionised television viewing for Indian audiences. The platform is protected and powered by an end-to-end suite of NDS solutions including VideoGuard^® conditional access system (CAS), MediaHighway^® middleware, an advanced electronic programme guide (EPG), as well as the XTV^TM DVR and additional NDS interactive infrastructure. Powered by NDS, Tata Sky’s interactive services include Active Star News™ with interactive news and weather updates and a range of popular multi-level games. Together, these NDS solutions enable Tata Sky to deliver advanced services that are the basis for a viewing experience that is unsurpassed in the rapidly expanding pay-TV market in India.

Tata Sky launched its DTH satellite pay-TV service in August 2006 with the goal of reaching one million connections by the end of their first year of operation. Tata Sky achieved that goal, and then took only another 10 months to reach the 2 million connections mark and just seven months to reach the 3 million connections milestone.

NDS CAS and DRM technology protects over 95.4 million digital devices, including over 14.5 million DVRs, around the globe, making NDS the global leader. Middleware from NDS has been deployed in over 98.7 million devices. NDS facilities in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore all play a role in supporting Tata Sky.

On the occasion of today’s announcement, Mr. Vikram Kaushik, MD & CEO, Tata Sky Ltd. said, "Tata Sky has achieved significant success in reaching 3 million connections in such a short time. The most recent achievement validates that Tata Sky is the most preferred service provider in the highly competitive Indian pay-TV market.” He added, "The end-to-end digital solutions from NDS, coupled with our unparalleled customer service and continuous product innovations, have enabled us to provide differentiated applications and a superior viewing experience for our subscribers.”

"NDS salutes Tata Sky’s performance in reaching 3 million connections in only 27 months,” said Sue Taylor, Senior VP and General Manager of NDS Asia Pacific. She added, "We value our partnership with Tata Sky as they offer innovative and exciting new solutions now and into the future. We are proud that our market leading solutions play a pivotal role in providing Tata Sky with a platform to attract and retain subscribers through innovative products.”

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About Tata Sky

Tata Sky Ltd., the JV between the TATA Group and STAR, is committed to offering viewers the best of pay television through its nationwide satellite television service. Tata Sky offers subscribers over 160 channels and interactive services in DVD quality picture and CD quality sound. For more information on Tata Sky, visit www.tatasky.com.

About NDS

NDS Group plc (NASDAQ: NNDS), a majority owned subsidiary of News Corporation, supplies open end-to-end digital technology and services to digital pay-TV platform operators and content providers. See www.nds.com for more information about NDS.

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