Louisville, Colorado, April 10, 2006—Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal U.S. subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., (NYSE: MC), has executed the Downloadable Conditional Access (DCAS™) Host License Agreement with CableLabs®, the cable industry's research and development consortium. The agreement will provide Panasonic with the necessary technology to build revolutionary DCAS-enabled devices.

DCAS is the next generation security architecture for retail devices, and cable operator deployed devices, alike. At the core of the DCAS architecture is a secure chip that provides an increased level of security for high value content. Cable operators can download, replace, or renew the software security on devices connected to the cable network.

And, by accommodating the OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP™) and digital rights management (DRM) technology, DCAS will enable innovative applications and service offerings for cable operators, content providers, and consumers.

DCAS offers a secure, cost-effective, flexible, cable company agnostic, solution for 2-way interactive devices that connect to cable systems. The DCAS Host License Agreement is available to consumer electronics manufacturers on a nondiscriminatory basis (see www.opencable.com/dcas).

“Panasonic has been a true partner with cable in offering innovative consumer electronics devices,” said David Fellows, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Comcast Cable Communications, Inc. “DCAS is a win-win-win for cable operators, consumer electronics manufacturers, and consumers. We look forward to working closely with Panasonic on DCAS, both in the retail and leased markets, in order to bring these devices to market as soon as possible,” he added.

Panasonic Chief Technology Officer Dr. Paul Liao noted: “Panasonic expects Downloadable Conditional Access will become the preferred approach to securing access to digital cable systems. Panasonic looks forward to implementing DCAS in its products.”

Dr. Richard R. Green, President and CEO of CableLabs, added: “Panasonic has been a great contributor to the advancement of cable-ready devices. It has supported our work with one-way digital cable-ready (DCR) devices, then with 2-way OCAP-enabled devices, and now with DCAS. Market-based technology partnerships with companies like Panasonic are the fastest route forward for bringing innovative cable products to consumers.”

About Panasonic
Based in Secaucus, NJ, Panasonic Corporation of North America markets a broad line of digital and other electronics products for consumer, business and industrial use. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC) of Japan, and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Information about Panasonic and its products is available at www.panasonic. Additional company information for journalists is available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom.

About CableLabs
About CableLabs: Cable Television Laboratories (www.cablelabs.com) was founded in 1988 by members of the cable television industry. A non-profit research and development consortium, CableLabs is dedicated to pursuing new cable telecommunications technologies and to helping its cable operator members integrate those advancements into their business objectives. Cable operators from around the world are members. CableLabs maintains additional web sites at www.cablenet.org, www.ebif.tv and www.tru2way.com.

CableCARD™, CableHome®, CableLabs®, CableNET®, CablePC™, DCAS™, DOCSIS®, DPoE™, EBIF™, Go2BroadbandSM, M-Card™, OpenCable™, PacketCable™, PeerConnect™, and tru2way® are marks of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.