NetPlay TV Launches Live Interactive TV "Casino" with Scottish Terrestrial Broadcaster, STV

NetPlay TV, a UK-based company that specializes in live interactive TV gambling (note: the company recently acquired Two Way Gaming, a joint venture between Two Way TV and Win Gaming, and, as part of that deal, has taken over the production of interactive TV gaming channel, Challenge Jackpot, which offers programming on the UK's Virgin Media cable, Sky satellite and Freeview digital terrestrial platforms--see article published on itvt.com, May 19th), announced Monday that it has signed a distribution deal with Scottish commercial terrestrial broadcaster, STV, that sees the latter launching what is billed as "the first live interactive TV casino on a national terrestrial broadcast channel." STV is Scotland's largest commercial broadcaster, and claims to reach 4 million viewers each month; NetPlay TV, meanwhile, claims to be the largest interactive TV gaming company in the world, regularly paying out over £1 million in winnings each day.

The STV-NetPlay TV interactive TV "casino" incorporates various of NetPlay TV's live interactive TV offerings, including "SuperCasino" and "Challenge Jackpot." The games allow viewers to place cash bets on "live" casino and bingo events, including a live roulette wheel, spun by a real croupier, and live blackjack. NetPlay TV says that the interactive TV casino will be broadcast live on STV as part of the broadcaster's late-night schedule for Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, starting next month. The launch of the service will be supported by Web, movie-theater and print advertising. NetPlay TV claims that the service is fully regulated by the UK and Alderney Gambling Commissions. "Concluding this deal with STV is a major milestone for UK broadcasting," NetPlay TV's new business development director, Guy Templer (formerly managing director of Two Way Gaming), said in a prepared statement. "NetPlayTV is the market leader in the delivery of licensed interactive gaming and we are pleased to have signed this major deal with Scotland's largest commercial terrestrial broadcaster." Added NetPlay TV CEO, Martin Higginson: "I am extremely pleased to have signed this landmark deal with STV. It has always been our aim to broadcast our interactive TV services on a major TV channel. NetPlayTV is uniquely positioned to offer terrestrial broadcasters sustainable, fully regulated, revenue-generating programming. We believe demand from broadcasters for these services will increase significantly over the coming months." And added David Archer, managing director of STV Ventures: "The recent Ofcom ruling in June 2009 [that broadcast licensees "who choose to provide services comprising transactional gambling should be treated as providing teleshopping, rather than editorial output, and licensed accordingly"] has allowed us to explore new revenue-generating options and we have moved quickly to take advantage of this opportunity to offer an exciting new service to STV viewers. NetPlayTV has been able to provide us with a fully regulated service that its players clearly enjoy and we are very pleased to be working in partnership with them."

In other NetPlay TV news: The company announced last week that it is launching a new line of live betting products targeted at retail betting shops. It says that it has signed a two-year contract with Stanleybet International that will see the latter initially rolling out the new retail products in 100 of its 1,400 betting shops, where they will be offered on dedicated terminals. The new retail products are being overseen by a new NetPlay TV division, which the company says will be tasked with rolling out its products to "other gaming operators and TV companies." The new division is headed up by Guy Templer. NetPlay TV claims that its live interactive TV gambling products "beat their equivalent online games by a factor of more than six to one in revenue terms and generate player session lengths of over 90 minutes."