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Insight Communications Launches Commerce.TV in Lexington

Lexington, KY – September 17, 2001

Insight Communications announced today that it has launched an interactive shopping application to its Lexington, Kentucky Insight Digital customers through partnerships with Commerce.TV and Liberate Technologies. This new service, branded as the Insight Digital Mall, offers customers hundreds of brand name products and special offers, and allows purchases to be made directly through the use of the remote control.

“The launch of the Insight Digital Mall is another important milestone in our ongoing commitment to bring the very latest in interactive television to our customers,” said Michael S. Willner, Insight’s President and CEO. “This newest application further enhances the appeal and practical usage of our Insight Digital product and its capabilities in the home.”

Willner added that the Insight Digital Mall is available to Lexington customers as part of the Insight Digital Gateway service tier, which also includes SourceGuide’s interactive program guide, the customized community information of LocalSource, and DIVA’s video-on-demand service.

Commerce. TV has developed interactive shopping and information services powered by CoreTVnet™. The service is a high-volume transaction processing network that takes purchases or requests for information and intelligently routes them to many different merchants and advertisers for fulfillment. Using advanced database technology, individual accounts can be tracked and updated so that consumers are able to check order status and shipping information on the television.

To set up an account, customers can call an 800-number or register on-screen and then use a credit card to complete the process. Once the account is set up, which is completely password-protected, there is no need to enter the credit card with each purchase or make phone calls to place and check on orders. Orders placed interactively are automatically routed to merchants and typically ship within 48 hours.

Shopping categories cover a variety of merchandise including sporting goods, music, movies, toys, and electronics. Customers can also access special offers from local merchants and from Insight. For example, ordering a premium channel upgrade package or @Home data service can now be done without placing a phone call to the local Insight office.

“We are extremely excited to be deploying this application in Lexington”, said Matt Kay, President and CEO of Commerce.TV. “The Insight Digital Mall is a service that truly creates additional value for Lexington digital customers and further proves that interactive television is no longer a futuristic proposition. It’s available today and brings a new dimension to television viewing. We are proud to be part of Insight’s digital line up.”

The Commerce.TV applications and services are running on the Liberate TV Platform Compact software from Liberate Technologies. This Liberate software, already deployed to more than 150,000 Insight Digital customers, empowers network operators to provide interactive services to the millions of existing, basic digital set-top boxes already in their systems. Liberate's standards-based solution allows cable operators to quickly roll out new and revenue-producing interactive services, like those of Commerce.TV, while leveraging existing network investments.

”Insight is truly a leader and innovator in digital and interactive services, and we’re thrilled to again see their pioneering spirit as they bring the Digital Mall to their subscribers,” said Mitchell Kertzman, CEO, Liberate Technologies. “Insight is taking maximum advantage of the flexibility and stability of the Liberate platform, and we look forward to helping them continue to expand the reach and selection of their offerings.”

About Insight Communications
Insight Communications (NASDAQ: ICCI) is the 9th largest cable operator in the United States, serving approximately 1.4 million customers. The company is highly concentrated in the four contiguous states of Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. Insight specializes in offering bundled, state-of-the-art services in mid-sized communities, delivering analog and digital video, high-speed data and the recent deployment of voice telephony in selected markets to its customers.

About Commerce.TV
Founded in April 1999, Commerce.TV Corporation is a leading infrastructure provider for interactive television. The company provides end-to-end enhanced TV solutions for cable operators and programmers including digital set-top applications that provide shopping, advertising and entertainment services, all powered by the CoreTVnetTM advanced database architecture for content delivery and response processing.

Commerce.TV works with top-tier cable companies and programmers and has multiple deployments scheduled during 2001. Commerce.TV is a privately held company, whose primary investors include Insight Communications, Motorola, Adelphia, OpenTV, and Citigroup. For further information, please log on to www.commerce-tv.com.

About Liberate Technologies
Liberate Technologies is the premier provider of open platforms for delivering enhanced content and services to television viewers around the world. Liberate's software, based on Internet and broadcasting standards, is the infrastructure platform supporting digital consumer services delivered by cable, satellite and telecommunications companies. Liberate's PopTVTM program, with more than 2,500 registered members, is the largest partner program in the interactive television industry. Headquartered in San Carlos, California, the company has sales offices in the U.S., Canada, Japan, and the U.K.
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Contact:

Matt Kay
CEO
Commerce.TV
781.332.4003


Contact:

Kim Messina
Director of Communications
Insight Communications
917.286.2300


Contact:

Marty O'Loughlin
Corporate Communications
Liberate Technologies
650 701-4078






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