Visiware Launches Interactive TV Games on Videotron's illico Cable Platform

Paris-based interactive TV games company, Visiware, announced late last month that it has launched its Playin'TV games offering on the illico digital cable platform of Quebec-based MSO, Videotron, as well as on Videotron's Web site. The service, which on the illico platform is accessed through the illico interactive TV portal (customers access the portal by pressing the "A" button on their remote, and then access the games by going to the portal's "TV-Web Games" section), offers Videotron customers two subscription options: Playin'TV Max, which provides unlimited access to all games (currently 23 games are on offer) on both the TV and the Internet for CAN$7 per month; and Playin'TV, which provides access to 12 games for CAN$4 per month. According to Visiware, Playin'TV games are developed in Flash, to enable a "smoother and faster" experience with rich animation. The service offers games in a range of genres, including action, sports, casino, puzzle, card and board games. "We are very happy to be available on Videotron and offer its subscribers a unique gaming experience on both TV and the Internet," Frederic Fellague, Visiware's worldwide marketing director, said in a prepared statement. "This launch confirms our presence in Canada. Thanks to the technical capacity of Videotron's digital terminal, we can offer a rich and interactive gaming experience."

In other recent news from Visiware:
--In January, the company announced the launch of Juegos TV, a Spanish-language version of the Playin'TV ITV games service, on the DISH Network satellite TV platform. Juegos TV, which has actually been available on the platform since September, is accessed via the Games category of the DishHOME interactive TV portal, and is priced at $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year. Its titles are updated weekly, and include arcade, adventure, sports, card, puzzle and casino games. It also features weekly contests with prizes and real-time leaderboards.
--Also in January, the company announced a partnership with Cezzer, a company which offers a broadband VOD service that is accessible through regular television sets (via a device dubbed the Cezzer Videoclub HD40). "Being available on Cezzer allows us to complete our distribution channels," Visiware chairman, Laurant Weill, said in a prepared statement. "This new medium will allow us to offer our games to a broader scope of consumers. The market for casual games is expanding very quickly and we are developing our multiplatform catalog around it."