New ITV Trade Association Formed

New Orleans -- A new trade association promoting consumer adoption of
interactive-television services was unveiled at the National Show here
Monday.

The Interactive Television Alliance, as the nonprofit organization is called,
has support from more than 30 hardware, software and application companies in
the field, including Liberate Technologies, WorldGate Communications Inc.,
OpenTV Corp., Wink Communications Inc. and Vivendi Universal subsidiary Canal
Plus Technologies.

The alliance, according to president Ben Mendelson, is also seeking
partnerships with the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, the
Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing and other cable trade
groups.

Most of the alliance's initial funds and resources will go to creation of an
extensive 'I want my MTV-type' public-awareness drive incorporating 30-minute
shows customized for individual cable operators, magazine supplements, public
information centers and an online clearinghouse.

The alliance's start-up budget was not released.