Interactive TV Deal

Vivendi Universal unit Canal Plus Technologies announced a deal with WINfirst under which the U.S. fiber-optic network company will use Canal’s technology to deliver interactive TV services. Canal Plus Technologies did not give financial details of the deal but said in a statement that the agreement will allow Denver-based WINfirst to offer interactive digital TV services to more than 3.7 million cable-connected households. The move gives France’s Canal Plus a foot in the door with one of the few companies competing with U.S. cable-TV operators by building high-speed digital systems to deliver interactive TV services to American homes. The unit is part of the Canal Plus pay-TV channel in France.