--Company Launches Challenge-Branded ITV Gaming Channel on Virgin Cable
UK-based interactive media company, Two Way Media (note: the
company, which was originally called Two Way TV, recently
rebranded, in order, it said, to "reflect its status as a company focused
on creating and distributing cross-media TV shows and games"), has
been selected by BabyTV (note: the latter is a 24/7 commercial-free
channel targeted at infants, toddlers and their parents; it is available in
70 countries and in 12 languages, and claims that its original content is
developed in consultation with child psychologists and infant
development experts) as its exclusive games provider for interactive
TV networks worldwide. The deal will see Two Way Media creating a
new, subscription-based service for BabyTV that will feature
educational and easy-to-play games. The service--which at launch will
feature 10 games for IPTV platforms, including memory games,
color-matching games, and a game based on the song, "Heads,
Shoulders, Knees and Toes"--will be called BabyTV Interactive and is
scheduled to go live in the fall. It will be available to pay-TV operators
that carry the BabyTV channel, including IPTV, cable and satellite
operators. "BabyTV has given us the opportunity to show our creative
and technical skill in creating fantastic, interactive branded content
targeted at a very specific demographic group, in this case children
under 3 and their carers," Two Way Media's sales director, James
Turner, said in a prepared statement. "Our relationship with BabyTV is
another example of how we are building up a strong catalog of branded,
high-quality content for IPTV."
In other Two Way Media news: The company has teamed with Virgin
Media Television to launch an interactive TV gaming channel, called
Challenge Jackpot, on Virgin Media's UK cable system. The
channel--which is designed to extend the brand of Virgin Media's
existing game show channel, Challenge--is available on Virgin's
networks 24/7, via linear TV, the red button and broadband, and is also
offered on the Virgin1 and Bravo2 channels (for two to three hours
after midnight), which extends its reach to the UK's free-to-air digital
terrestrial platform, Freeview, and the Sky satellite platform. Its deal
with Virgin sees Two Way Media producing, among other things, all
the live TV output for Challenge Jackpot: the channel is slated to carry
between eight and 10 hours of live studio TV every day.
At launch, the new channel's flagship live show is "Roulette Nation."
Other programming offerings include shows devoted to bingo and
blackjack. The channel's games/programs are hosted by established
talent, including TV presenter and reality TV star, Jeff Brazier. Outside
its live broadcast hours, the channel offers a range of automated ITV
games, including "Get Set Roulette," "Face Up Hold 'Em," and "Hot
Shot Keno." All the new channel's transactional elements are being run
by Two Way Media-subsidiary, Two Way Gaming (note: the latter,
which is based in Alderney in the Channel Islands, is a joint venture
with Zone4Play).
The new channel is supported by a Web site,
www.challengejackpot.com, which features full casino functionality
and which is also operated by Two Way Gaming. It offers streaming
versions of Challenge Jackpot shows, as well as the full suite of
Wagerworks games, including games based on such well-known TV
brands as "The Price is Right" and "Wheel of Fortune," and on
established games brands such as "Cluedo" and "Monopoly." "This is a
company-transforming deal for Two Way Gaming," Two Way Gaming
managing director, Guy Templer, said in a prepared statement. "It is
really exciting when you meet a big media player like Virgin Media
Television who shares our vision of combining great TV with the thrill
and buzz of the casino. There are many great brands out there, which
can be converted into entertaining TV gambling formats. Challenge,
with its gameshow heritage, is the perfect partner for us."
