(Hong Kong, June 5, 2006) Hong Kong Cable Television Limited, Hong Kong's official broadcaster of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, today (Monday) inaugurated its multi-million dollar venue custom-built for the 2006 CABLE TV World Cup Carnival.

The 20,000 sq. ft. setting at the Hong Kong International Trade & Exhibition Centre in Kowloon Bay, blending a spectacular design with state-of-the-art broadcasting equipment, will be the setting for the month-long Carnival that will be kicking off on Friday (June 9) and running on World Cup Final match days through to July 9.

The Carnival will be entertaining more than 15,000 soccer fans (more than 500 a night) in nightly parties at which the fans will be joining our commentators and our team of eighteen World Cup Angels to watch all 64 matches of the Finals live and participate in fun and games in which they will have a chance to win prizes worth a total of $2.5 million.

The venue was inaugurated at a switching-on ceremony officiated jointly by Mr. Stephen Ng, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CABLE TV; Mr. Samuel Tsang, Project Manager, 2006 FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee of CABLE TV; Mr. Ronald Chiu, Executive Director, i-CABLE News Ltd & i-CABLE Sports Ltd, and; Ms Musetta Wu, Vice President of i-CABLE Sports Ltd.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Ng said: "As the Hong Kong official broadcaster again of the World Cup, CABLE TV has been sparing no effort in making preparation for the big event to ensure that our coverage this time will surpass even our great achievements in 2002. With even better venue, programming, coverage and equipment, we will once again be rewriting the history Hong Kong's television sports event coverage."

Mr. Tsang noted that coverage of the 2006 World Cup will follow the successful multi-channel, multi-angle approach to ensure that all 64 Final round matches are carried LIVE, with the main channel being the CABLE World Cup Channel (Ch. 63), supported by the CABLE Super Soccer Channel (Ch. 61), with World Cup programming also being shown on Channel A (Ch. 131).

To cater to the full spectrum of viewers' tastes, programming on the Soccer Betting Channel (Ch. 61) is also geared for World Cup. The pre-Final dedicated programme, analysing the respective strength of the finalist teams, will lead in to the month-long programme "06 World Cup Show" during the Finals round period in which all 64 Final matches will be broadcast from a "drinking bar" setting, with commentary from the channel's specialised angle.

State-of-the-art equipment that will be deployed to enhance the professionalism of CABLE TV's 2006 World Cup coverage will include PIERO, a new 3D Simulated Sports Field System deployed for the first time in Asia to help commentators in their in and post-match analysis. Among the many amazing features of PIERO is its ability to enable viewers to see "play" from angles that cannot be captured by conventional cameras, apart from its ability to track players across the grass and place pointers and images on the pitch in "live" video.

At the Carnival venue, giant projection screens are positioned strategically around the studio to make the audiences feel as if they are watching the matches on site in Germany and our top commentators and production team will be utilizing cutting-edge technology to deliver professional yet entertaining coverage in unprecedented depth and breath of all 64 matches. Home viewers will be able to share in the fun and excitement of the World Cup Carnival as the nightly evening festivities will be broadcast live before the matches of the day.

The inaugurating ceremony today was attended by CABLE TV's full World Cup casting and joined in through satellite feed from Germany by Cable Power 4, the CABLE TV four-men team that has been entertaining Hong Kong viewers over the past month with their exotic tales and footages brought back from its arduous adventure journey around all 32 World Cup Final participating countries.

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