--Core of New "iGames" Offering Will be Casual Games from US-Based Oberon Media
Indian satellite TV operator, Reliance Big TV, and Indiagames, a subsidiary of Indian media conglomerate, UTV, have signed a strategic agreement that will see a range of interactive TV games launching on Reliance Big TV's OpenTV-powered platform, under the brand "iGames." Most of the games will be provided by Indiagames' content partner, US-based multiplatform (online, mobile and interactive TV) casual games specialist, Oberon Media. "This initiative, and the DTH partnership with Oberon Media, marks our foray to the third screen of gaming, making us the first Indian triple-play games company with a strong presence across mobile, PC, and now DTH," Indiagames COO, Samir Bangara, said in a prepared statement. "With unparalleled content and cutting-edge technology from Oberon, optimized for a rich user experience, we are truly taking the gaming experience on TV to a whole new level."
Reliance Big TV will offer the new iGames service as part of its Interactive Services offering (note: for an example of another interactive TV application offered by the operator, see the article published on itvt.com, July 5th). The service is slated to feature eight games, across multiple genres, that will be refreshed on a monthly basis. According to the company, the games will include various titles from Oberon Media's publishing division, I-play, such as "Galapago," "Solitaire" (in four different versions: "Classic," "FreeCell," "Pyramid" and "Towers"), "MOODiES," "Space MOODiES," "Air Hockey" and "Darts"; as well as various games licensed from third parties. The service will also feature local content from Indiagames, including games devoted to cricket and Bollywood.
According to Reliance Big TV, its launch of interactive TV gaming services is part of a strategy to "drive profitable growth through innovative DTH VAS [value-added service) services." The company says that its VAS offerings are currently limited to its pay-per-view bouquet and six free interactive TV apps (including iCooking, iAstro, iStock, iCricket and iNews), but that it plans to monetize its VAS capabilities after the launch of the new iGames service. While VAS currently contribute less than 5% of its overall business revenues, the company says it plans to double the VAS contribution to overall revenues, and that iGames is "expected to contribute 10% of [its platform's] VAS usage with a cumulative business revenue of over Rs 100 crores over the next five years." It says it plans to increase VAS revenues in three areas--pay-per-view, advertising and interactive TV--and that its interactive TV roadmap calls for it to launch a series of services over the coming months, including services branded as iJobs, iHolidays, iMatrimony, iEstate, iJuniors, iEducation and iHealth respectively. It has tapped Indian ad network operator, NetworkPlay, to help monetize its interactive TV offerings through advertising.
