Ra’anana, Israel – Viaccess, the France Telecom subsidiary specializing in content protection, conditional access and DRM solutions, will acquire a 100% stake in Orca Interactive Ltd, a provider of IPTV middleware and applications for an estimated US$21.4million. Completion of the transaction is subject to conditions precedent and to the approval by Orca Interactive’s shareholders in an extraordinary general meeting. Through the acquisition, Viaccess and Orca look to improve their respective market positions and enhance delivery of solutions with an integrated IPTV platform. Currently, Viaccess’ conditional access and DRM solutions are used in over 30 countries worldwide with 1.2million active IPTV subscribers worldwide. Orca Interactive’s IP video and feature-rich multimedia solutions combine live TV, video-on-demand (VOD), personal video recording (PVR), home media and personalized services, including the new content discovery and user generated content across a multi-device platform, over the Internet through its WebTV solution. Haggai Barel, CEO of Orca Interactive said, “Viaccess’s investment in Orca proves that we are standing (on) the brink of a new era, firmly cementing IPTV’s role in the consolidation of telecommunications services.”