Technology: Tommy Hilfiger and Sony BMG unveil TommyTV

Amsterdam, (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - Tommy Hilfiger continues to bring music and fashion together with the global launch of TommyTV (www.tommytv.com), an online evolution of the Hilfiger Sessions music series, staged in creative collaboration with Sony BMG Europe, that brings the excitement of live music to audiences around the globe.

TommyTV, which goes live today, builds on the existing success of The Hilfiger Sessions, a series of established and successful music events. The Hilfiger Sessions feature high profile artists playing with new and upcoming talent in intimate gigs in cities around the world, with recent Sessions taking place in Madrid, Berlin and Amsterdam hosted by artists such as Wyclef Jean and Kelly Rowland.

The live recordings of The Hilfiger Sessions form the centrepiece of TommyTV, allowing music fans to enjoy exclusive content and experience the thrill of live musical performances via unprecedented online video presentation.

TommyTV features:
-- Exclusive content from the global Hilfiger Sessions concerts.
-- Exclusive artist interviews and backstage footage.
-- The chance to discover new music talent or for new artists to be discovered through the Hilfiger Auditions.

Tommy Hilfiger said: "I have always been inspired by music and our Company was one of the first to truly fuse fashion and music through a variety of initiatives. The launch of TommyTV takes our musical heritage to the next level by offering the exclusive Hilfiger Sessions performances to a wider audience. With Sony BMG as our partner, we are thrilled to be at the forefront of bringing music and fashion together with the latest technological and online innovations."

Fred Gehring, CEO Tommy Hilfiger Group, said: "We first started the Hilfiger Sessions' concerts out of our love for live music and a pure desire to support upcoming talent. The Sessions grew to develop major followings in cities across Europe, and we have been actively seeking ways to bring the amazing spirit of these live evenings to a broader audience. We are extremely excited to unveil TommyTV as a highly innovative new platform which will inspire and extend the Sessions as well as strengthening our brand's commitment to its heritage of music," commented Fred Gehring.

Maarten Steinkamp, CEO Sony BMG Europe, said: "Great live music provides an audience with a truly unique shared experience, and the partnership of SONY BMG and Tommy Hilfiger, on TommyTV, allows an even wider audience to enjoy that excitement. In a digital age we are looking for innovative and engaging ways to bring our excellent content to our customers, TommyTV will give online exposure to a wide range of popular and established Sony BMG artists, as well as a vibrant mix of new and upcoming talent."

The TommyTV online experience

Alongside featuring globally renowned superstars and up and coming new talent, TommyTV will also offer music fans many other community and interactive options. The multimedia platform will stream across four segments, utilizing state-of-the-art Papervision3D technology to further enhance the online viewing experience.

Sessions
-- Unique live clips
-- Exclusive backstage footage (rehearsals, interviews)
-- Session photos
-- Information on upcoming sessions Auditions
-- A new channel for new and upcoming talent
-- The ability to upload your own music
-- Competitions Artists
-- Premium content from SONY BMG's archives
-- Including live performances and interviews with artists

My TommyTV
-- Create playlists of your favourite TommyTV clips
-- Manage your own account
-- Subscribe to a regular news update

The Hilfiger Sessions

Now in its third year, The Hilfiger Sessions have enabled a fashion and music-loving audience to enjoy an electrifying mix of music styles and cultures in an intimate atmosphere. Founded in Amsterdam, The Hilfiger Sessions - an ongoing series of jam sessions coupling established and local and new musicians - have grown into a European phenomenon. The launch of the TommyTV online experience will bring the Sessions to an even wider audience.

Partnerships

Launched by Tommy Hilfiger, Fred Gehring, CEO Tommy Hilfiger Group and Maarten Steinkamp, CEO Sony BMG Europe, TommyTV is a strategic and creative collaboration that offers premium channel content featuring internationally successful Sony artists and emerging talent. The exclusive partnership with Sony BMG Europe - the second largest record company in the world - also brings unique live and previously unavailable material from Sony artists to TommyTV. The TommyTV concept and online platform has been designed and developed by cross media architects Media Republic (www.mediarepublic.com). Tommy Hilfiger and Sony BMG have also partnered with YouTube(TM) and Joost(TM) in order to feature TommyTV content in online communities around the world.

The Tommy Hilfiger Group

Tommy Hilfiger is a leading premium lifestyle brand and one of the largest designer apparel brands globally. Tommy Hilfiger Group, through its subsidiaries, designs, sources and markets men's and women's casual wear, sportswear, jeans, children's wear and footwear. The Group's products can be found in its network of dedicated retail stores in Europe, the United States and Canada, as well as in leading specialty and department stores throughout Europe and North America. Through over 40 licensees, Tommy Hilfiger-branded products, including a broad array of related apparel, accessories, fragrance and home furnishings, are distributed worldwide, including in Mexico, Central and South America, Japan, Australia India, China and elsewhere throughout Asia.

SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT is a global recorded music joint venture with a roster of current artists that includes a broad array of both local artists and international superstars, as well as a vast catalogue that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. SONY BMG is 50% owned by Bertelsmann A.G. and 50% owned by Sony Corporation of America.

SOURCE Tommy Hilfiger
CONTACT: Abdel El Hamri,
Director of Communications of Tommy Hilfiger Europe B.V.,
+31 (0) 20 589 5701,
Abdel.Elhamri@tommy.com;
Marybeth Schmitt,
Senior Vice President Communications of Tommy Hilfiger UAS Inc.,
+1-212-548-1952,
Mschmitt@tommy-usa.com;
Paul Bursche,
Communications Director of SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT (UK),
+ 44 207 384 8033,
paul.bursche@sonybmg.com
Web site: http://www.tommytv.com
http://www.mediarepublic.coms

COPYRIGHT © 2008

IEEE Standards Association sponsoring free seminar in Tokyo

One-day seminar to address issues related to global standards

Piscataway, New Jersey (BUSINESS WIRE) - The IEEE Standards Association Corporate Advisory Group will host a free one-day seminar, "Global Standards, Local Benefits: The IEEE Standards Association," 14 May 2008 at SONY corporate headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.

This ground-breaking seminar will address the issues faced by today's policy makers and industry leaders, emphasizing how local entities can participate in and make use of global standards and best practices.

Leaders from industry, government and standards bodies will be there to provide interactive presentations and case studies.

The seminar will cover topics such as the IEEE-SA and global standards; the IEEE-SA Corporate Program; the Corporate Program's Intellectual Property Rights policy; and the entity standards process.

In addition, Japanese government ministries responsible for standardization will also make presentations.

Technical topics slated to be addressed include battery standards, design automation, broadband over power lines, cognitive radio, carrier Ethernet, IEEE 802.16?/WiMax, and IEEE 802.20? Mobile Broadband Wireless.

The full agenda is available online: http://standards.ieee.org/corpforum/japan/agenda.html

Online registration ends 5-May-2008.

For more information, or to register for this free event, please visit: http://standards.ieee.org/corpforum/japanindex.html

The IEEE-SA Corporate Program fosters the development of industry-relevant global standards through an equitable and timely process. The IEEE-SA Corporate Advisory Group serves as an advisory body to the IEEE-SA corporate members and to IEEE-SA Board of Governors. For more information on the IEEE-SA Corporate Program, call +1 732-562-5342 or email corp-stds@ieee.org.

About the IEEE Standards Association

The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards-setting body, develops consensus standards through an open process that brings diverse parts of industry together. These standards set specifications and procedures based on current scientific and technological consensus.

The IEEE-SA has a portfolio of over 870 active standards and more than 400 standards under development. For information on IEEE-SA see: http://standards.ieee.org/.

About the IEEE

The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) is the world's largest technical professional society.
Through its more than 370,000 members in 160 countries, the organization is a leading authority on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics.

Dedicated to the advancement of technology, the IEEE publishes 30 per cent of the world's literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields, and has developed nearly 900 active industry standards.

The organization also sponsors or co-sponsors over 450 international technical conferences each year. Additional information about the IEEE can be found at http://www.ieee.org.

IEEE-SA Marketing Director Karen McCabe, +1 732-562-3824 k.mccabe@ieee.org