Thomson (Euronext Paris:18453) (NYSE:TMS) provides services, systems and technology to help its Media & Entertainment clients -- content creators, content distributors and users of its technology -- realize their business goals and optimize their performance in a rapidly changing technology environment. The Group intends to become the preferred partner to the Media & Entertainment industries through its Technicolor, Grass Valley, RCA and THOMSON brands.

Thomson serves as the licensing representative of mp3 patents and software of the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany (co-inventors of mp3), Coding Technologies from Sweden (coinventors of mp3 PRO) and Agere Systems (co-inventors of mp3 SURROUND). Since launching its mp3 licensing program in 1995, Thomson has played an instrumental role in making mp3 the de facto standard in digital audio:

• -Licensing agreements are in place with more than 300 companies


• -Over 300 million licensed mp3 players exist worldwide


• -Virtually every song in the world has been encoded into mp3


• -Licensed mp3 software programs are installed on virtually every computer in the world