NetPlayTV Secures Breakthrough Deal with UK’s ITV

In another significant airtime deal for the company, live TV gaming specialist NetPlayTV plc has entered into a six month ‘teleshopping’ airtime trial agreement with the UK’s ITV Broadcasting Limited to broadcast fully interactive transactional TV gaming formats on ITV1’s new night time teleshopping trial window, The Zone, starting next month.

Marking another milestone in the NetPlayTV’s goal of becoming the UK’s leading broadcaster of gaming experiences across a broad range of platforms, the agreement is a result of the revised Ofcom rules last year which now allows ITV to broadcast transactional formats in a night time teleshopping window.

NetPlayTV’s formats will sit alongside other retail partners within the two hour window, with the company’s new transactional interactive bingo TV show to broadcast on ITV1’s The Zone, featuring quick fire keno and bingo rounds.

The new bingo based show will be broadcast for approximately 30 minutes up to six nights per week on ITV1 starting after midnight. The new format will be backed by a TV advertising campaign, as well as online and press marketing.

“When we established NetPlayTV it was with the dream of creating our own interactive game formats and getting them broadcast on a terrestrial TV channel,” said Martin Higginson, Chief Executive of NetPlayTV. “The agreement with ITV1 allows us to bring together a number of disciplines, from mobile to gaming in the delivery of this exciting new transactional TV bingo show for a trial period.

“This agreement is a huge breakthrough for the company, and whilst the new format has been costly to develop and, is as yet unproven, we believe the potential upside to be significant. We believe transactional TV is here to stay, and we have the ability to deliver a format that works.”

As part of the agreement NetPlayTV will also broadcast its existing Roulette Nation interactive game show, currently broadcast on Virgin 1 and STV, in an additional 30 minute segment. Roulette Nation is part of the ChallengeJackpot.com family which currently generates over £14 million in bets each month, according to NetPlayTV. Players will be able to interact via their PC or phone with the ‘live’ TV roulette wheel, playing for fun or real cash from as little as £1 per spin. NetPlayTV said it currently pays out over £400,000 a day in winnings to its Roulette Nation players.

“ITV’s ‘The Zone’ is a six month trial of teleshopping material following the Ofcom rule change last year,” said William van Rest, ITV’s Controller of TV Shopping and Gaming. “Soft gaming products such as Bingo are extremely popular amongst our audience and we look forward to introducing NetPlayTV’s range of innovative formats to our audience as part of this trial.”

NetPlayTV also confirmed this morning the appointment of Business Development Director, Guy Templer, as the company’s new Chief Operating Officer. Templer has been appointed to take the company’s brands to the next stage of their evolution, including the development of new interactive TV formats that appeal to wider audiences, driving more players to a converged internet, mobile and TV gaming offering.

“I am pleased to welcome Guy to the plc Board, he has worked incredibly hard over the past few months bringing this deal to a conclusion,” said Higginson. “He brings with him a wealth of TV experience which will allow us, with his assistance to take our brands to the next stage of their evolution.”

Shares in NetPlayTV plc (Co. Profile) (AIM:NPT) have gained 5.47% to 27.69 pence per share in London this morning following the announcement.