Cellcast News
Cellcast launches new programming on Freeview and pioneers new 'visual radio' on digital terrestrial television
12th May 2006
Cellcast plc (AIM:CLTV), the global interactive digital broadcaster, today announces the launch of its new interactive entertainment services on Freeview’s digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform in the UK including a breakthrough in interactive TV technology.
The Company has ventured with Top Up TV to trail interactive content and programming on Smile TV on Channel 37. This launch is the successful realisation of a partnership with Top Up TV which was announced at the Company’s admission to AIM in September 2005. It marks a further step in the Company’s strategy to expand the reach of its programmes through securing new distribution agreements in the UK as well as internationally.
Cellcast has also worked with Top Up TV to launch an innovative new interactive service, Top Up Active, on Channel 107. This will be available to all 6.4 million-plus Freeview households in place of the static ‘placeholder’ which is traditionally used on subscription channels to promote a broadcaster’s pay channels. Cellcast has developed a unique format which utilises all available bandwidth to provide radio-style broadcasting combined with interactive chat and games. Combining talk-radio, participation TV and interactivity, Cellcast and Top Up TV are pioneering ‘visual radio’ for the Freeview platform.
Andrew Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Cellcast plc, said; “This revolutionary approach pushes the interactive opportunity on Freeview to its limits. Where Teletext and similar services use their bandwidth to direct viewers to the content, this application focuses on user generated content to entertain the viewer. This furthers Cellcast’s goal to be at the forefront of the development of innovative platforms for participatory programming. Top Up Active’s integration of audio and interactivity within such bandwidth constraints represents a significant technological success for both Companies.“
More than 1.1 million UK households took up digital TV in the fourth quarter of 2005 – more than in any previous quarter. Over 800,000 of these acquired Freeview or Top Up TV. In March 2006, Freeview enabled receivers were in approximately 6.4 million homes. Freeview’s share of the digital TV market (i.e. the proportion of digital households using digital terrestrial as their sole TV platform) has steadily increased since Freeview’s launch in October 2002, and according to Ofcom accounted for 69% of all new digital homes in 2005.
Andrew Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Cellcast plc, said; “The fact that no further bandwidth is currently available on the Freeview platform is a measure of Freeview’s success and we are delighted that Cellcast has been able to launch several new services on what is the UK’s fastest growing digital TV platform. We are pleased to partner with Top Up TV in this exciting new entertainment offering for UK television viewers. Using existing production output, we have been able to extend our reach and demonstrate the effectiveness of our interactive broadcast model. At the same time we are developing original ways of maximising the opportunities that digital TV can offer.”
For further information:
Cellcast plc |
|
Andrew Wilson, Chief Executive Officer |
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7190 0300 |
| andrew@cellcast.tv | www.cellcast.com |
| Top Up TV Ltd | |
| Nick Markham | Tel: +44 (0) 7881 510 115 |
| nick.markham@topuptv.com | |
Daniel Stewart & Company Plc |
|
Marc Young, Corporate Finance |
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7776 6550 |
Cellcast Media enquiries:
Abchurch |
|
Henry Harrison-Topham / Gareth Mead |
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7398 7700 |
Notes to Editors:
Cellcast plc
Cellcast plc is a leading international provider of participation television applications and interactive mobile content in the fast-growing multi-platform digital entertainment sector. Headquartered in London, with associated operations in Paris, Beirut, Mumbai, Hong Kong and Buenos Aires, Cellcast’s applications and programming are distributed on the Sky Digital platform in the UK and broadcast partners include Canal+ in France; STB in Ukraine; Future TV, Dubai Television and Rotana TV in the Middle East; Zee TV and Star TV in India; TVS-3 in China; Telefe in Argentina; and TeleAmazonas in Ecuador.
Cellcast’s revenues streams are independent of both advertising and subscription fees. With a network of revenue sharing agreements with telecommunications carriers and aggregators across five continents, Cellcast receives a share of the call revenue every time a consumer uses a mobile or fixed-line phone to participate in its interactive entertainment, revenue which is retained or shared with its broadcast partners. Cellcast’s programme formats and proprietary Interactive Platform (CIP) also facilitate delivery of content to mobile phones, the internet and broadband-delivered IPTV. This enables viewers to continue participating in a programme away from the TV, generating 24/7 revenue opportunities.
Cellcast plc joined the AIM market ( AIM) of the London Stock Exchange on 21 September 2005.
Top Up TV
Top Up TV currently offers 14 pay channels on the Freeview DTT platform, including UKTV Gold, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery Channel, Cartoon Network, British Eurosport and Boomerang. Top Up TV can be received using a Freeview set-top box or television equipped with a card slot or CI slot.