Omneon Video Networks, a recognized leader in enterprise-class networked media server platforms, has expanded and strengthened its senior leadership team with the joint appointments of Larry Kaplan as the new Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors and Joe Kennedy as the Company’s new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). These dual appointments enable the Company to capitalize on the industry and management experience of both executives and strengthen the ability of the company to deliver enterprise-class technology that solves the unique challenges of the broadcast market.

Kaplan, who is a founder of the Company, will focus primarily on strategic external activities that will elevate the profile of the company. The combination of his many years of experience delivering technology solutions specifically designed for the broadcast marketplace and his extensive network of relationships in the broadcast industry are invaluable to Omneon. In his new role, Kaplan will be directly involved in establishing new high-level relationships and business development initiatives with customers and strategic partners.

Kennedy brings significant leadership strength to Omneon, having served as founder and CEO of a number of successful technology companies. In the role of president and CEO for Omneon, Kennedy will be chiefly responsible for setting company direction as well as managing all day-to-day company operations. Having both a strong technical background and extensive executive management and operations expertise, Kennedy will bring increased focus on strategic and operational execution that will propel Omneon into the next phase of its growth.

"Over the past several months, Omneon has demonstrated significant momentum in the marketplace, as evidenced by the growing adoption of our technology by several large, prestigious customers and new application partners," said Larry Kaplan, executive chairman of Omneon. "Because of this momentum, we have been able to attract someone of Joe’s caliber. Joe’s expertise in managing information technology companies will bring increased focus on delivering solutions that give our customers the highest levels of cost-effectiveness, reliability and interoperability."

"Omneon is one of those rare companies in Silicon Valley that has industry-leading technology, a significant and growing market opportunity, top-notch talent and tremendous passion for its customers," added Joseph Kennedy, president and CEO of Omneon. "I am excited to be joining Omneon at this stage in the company’s growth and I look forward to working with Larry to take Omneon to the next level."

Kennedy comes to Omneon with extensive prior experience as a CEO for several technology companies, having served in this capacity at Pluris Networks, Rapid City Communications (acquired by Bay Networks), Hughes LAN Systems and Phoenix Technology. He has excelled at providing market vision and operational leadership directly impacting revenue growth and profitability. Kennedy also led venture funding efforts and has been very successful in both fund raising and achieving increasing valuations for his companies. Prior to his CEO positions, Kennedy was vice president of engineering at Ungermann-Bass and director of engineering at Zilog.

Larry Kaplan co-founded Omneon Video Networks in 1998 and has served as the Company’s chief executive since its inception. He has substantial experience in television and computer networking technologies and has built strong relationships with satellite, television and media companies worldwide that have integrated sophisticated digital media networks. Prior to co-founding Omneon, Mr. Kaplan was senior vice president at Sony Electronics with overall responsibility for Sony Broadcast in the US. Before Sony, Mr. Kaplan had overall responsibility for both the computer graphic and television operations at Tektronix-including the color printer division (acquired by Xerox) and the Grass Valley Group.

About Omneon
Omneon Video Networks provides a cost-effective and scalable video server platform for the professional broadcasting industry. Built around the concept of a modular, shared storage infrastructure, Omneon's Media Server System delivers a dramatic reduction in cost along with improvements in workflow flexibility for continuous on-line media delivery. Omneon’s platform is supported by an impressive array of third-party applications – control and transmission, media management, archiving, and collaborative production – giving broadcasters flexibility to work with best-of-breed providers. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, Omneon is privately held and funded by prominent venture capital firms. Omneon’s web site is www.Omneon.com.

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