Pay TV technology developer NDS Group plc (Nasdaq: NNDS) today announced a joint venture with Rank, a global leisure and entertainment group, to deploy a dedicated interactive games and betting channel featuring bingo-style and other numbers games.
The games and betting channel, called 'Fancy a Flutter', will launch on UK satellite TV service BSkyB's Sky Active menus.
NDS, which has a major research and development center in Jerusalem, says the joint venture channel will offer a mixture of pay-to-play and play-for-fun interactive games. The four launch games are Bingo-Keno, Madcap Keno, Roll 'em and Fruit Frenzy, based on existing titles on the Rank.com website.
’Fancy a Flutter’ viewers, who must be over the age of 18, can register either on the channel or online. From a minimum stake of £0.20, players can win up to £500,000 payouts on some games, with winnings credited to registered debit or credit cards.
NDS says 'Fancy a Flutter' will be delivered securely by its Value @TV interactive TV system and integration technologies from its subsidiaries Orbis and Visionik. Rank is providing its fixed odds bookmaker permit, use of Rank and Mecca brands as well as marketing and customer service expertise.
NDS Group CEO and president Dr Abe Peled said, "We see a great opportunity entering the growing interactive gaming market with a global brand as powerful as Rank. This joint venture will take advantage of the considerable crossover of Mecca Bingo players who are also Sky subscribers, forming the foundation to build this channel. From NDS's point of view the channel is also unique - the first time we have integrated Orbis, Visionik and NDS technologies to deliver content, which is both entertaining and engaging."
Rank CEO Mike Smith said, "This iTV venture enables us to further strengthen the Rank brand as a leader in gaming, generating new revenue and customers through a digital TV channel. We believe the combination of Rank's brand, marketing and customer service experience mixed with NDS's world leading technical innovation will give us real advantage in the increasingly competitive interactive gaming landscape."
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on 15 May, 2003