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Liberty Global Joins RDK VentureDENVER & PHILADELPHIA --(Business Wire)-- Today, at the Cable Congress 2014 in Amsterdam, Liberty Global (News - Alert) plc ("Liberty Global") (NASDAQ: LBTYA, LBTYB and LBTYK) and RDK Management, LLC announced the strategic addition of Liberty Global as a new member in the RDK joint venture. Together with Comcast and Time Warner (News - Alert) Cable, Liberty Global will provide technical, financial, and management oversight resources to support the joint venture. RDK Management, LLC is responsible for licensing, code management, training and community support for the Reference Design Kit ("RDK"). The RDK is a pre-integrated software bundle developed and licensed to create a common framework for powering IP or hybrid set-top boxes ("STBs") and gateway devices for CE manufacturers, SOC vendors, software developers, system integrators and TV service providers. The RDK was created to accelerate the deployment of next-generation video services and prevent software fragmentation by providing speed-to-market, collaboration and standardization. "Liberty Global was an early proponent of the RDK, and today we're taking a strategic stake in the JV because of the clear technical advantages it provides to us and the industry at large," said Balan Nair, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Liberty Global. "We believe RDK provides a baseline of standardization that will yield faster development and launch cycles of next-generation in-home devices and video services. It's a key part of our product roadmap. The combination of leading North American and European operators will enable RDK to build global scale and accelerate benefits to all RDK licensees."
The RDK has been licensed by more than 120 companies, including multiple MVPD's globally, such as Comcast (News - Alert), Time Warner Cable, Liberty Global, Kabel Deutschland, and others. The RDK is available at no cost for licensees, and RDK community member companies can contribute software changes and enhancements to the RDK stack. Additional information is available at www.rdkcentral.com. About Liberty Global Liberty Global is the largest international cable company with operations in 14 countries. We connect people to the digital world and enable them to discover and experience its endless possibilities. Our market-leading triple-play services are provided through next-generation networks and innovative technology platforms that connected 24 million customers subscribing to 48 million television, broadband internet and telephony services at December 31, 2013. Liberty Global's consumer brands include Virgin Media (News - Alert), UPC, Unitymedia, Kabel BW. Telenet and VTR. Our operations also include Liberty Global Business Services, our commercial division and Liberty Global Ventures, our investment fund. For more information, please visit www.libertyglobal.com. About RDK Management, LLC RDK Management, LLC is a joint venture between Comcast Cable, Liberty Global and Time Warner Cable, with more than 120 licensees, to administer the Reference Design Kit (RDK). Developed to accelerate the deployment of next-generation video services and prevent software fragmentation, the RDK is a pre-integrated software bundle developed and licensed to create a common framework for powering IP or hybrid set-top boxes and gateway devices for CE manufacturers, SOC vendors and other software developers, system integrators, and TV service providers. For more information, please visit http://www.rdkcentral.com. |
