Pioneer and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. today reached a basic agreement on a comprehensive PDP business alliance to further progress and reinforce the plasma display businesses.

The agreement part of Pioneer's reconstruction plan for its business, which included the company's decision to to terminate in-house plasma display panel production and to procure these panels externally, in order to maintain the cost competitiveness of plasma display panels.

The agreement mainly covers R & D as well as strategic production and supply of PDP and modules. The two companies will discuss further detail and conclude a formal agreement on the PDP business alliance around May 2008.

Pioneer and Matsushita have been serving the market with high-quality plasma TVs under their respective brands "KURO" and "VIERA," exploiting the advantages of the PDP devices as self-emitting displays and their own video technologies.

The two companies believe the comprehensive alliance will bring about significant synergy effects by the integration of Pioneer's KURO technologies, renowned for high luminance efficiency, high contrast and super-slim design, with NeoPDP, Matsushita's own technologies of the next-generation "VIERA" plasma displays.

In collaboration with Pioneer, Matsushita will develop and manufacture PDPs and modules. Matsushita plans to start supplying these PDPs and modules in time for Pioneer's release of new PDP products which will be available in the autumn of 2009.

As for the size of panels, the two companies will discuss details in consideration of customer demand, market competitiveness and the size of panels currently marketed by Pioneer.

Pioneer and Matsushita will continue to supply their own plasma TVs.