Cellcast News

Cellcast launches India subsidiary

29th November 2005

Cellcast expands operations into India, one of the world’s fastest growing markets for digital entertainment

Cellcast plc (AIM:CLTV), a global interactive digital broadcaster, is expanding its international reach with the opening of a new subsidiary, Cellcast Interactive India PvT Limited, based in Mumbai.

In March this year Cellcast launched a 24/7 interactive channel called Play TV on the Zee Network in partnership with the Essel Group. Since Play TV’s launch, premium rate SMS traffic has doubled month on month and the channel now broadcasts over 10 hours of live interactive programmes daily.

The Chief Executive of Cellcast Interactive India, Pankaj Thakar, has over twenty years’ experience of building and managing companies in the computer, telecom and wireless sectors.

Pankaj Thakar said: “ India’s consumers are primed for the kind of innovative participation-TV programming which Cellcast has developed so successfully in the UK and other leading markets. With 85 million TV households, over 65 million mobile phone subscribers growing by 2.5 million new users every month, and a sustained rise in consumer spending power, India promises to become a leading world market for convergent entertainment services in a very short time”.

The newly established subsidiary will help Cellcast address the rising demand for interactive entertainment in India. The Company’s programmes and technology platform enable broadcast partners to capture new revenue streams that are independent of subscription income and advertising, and build new audiences among the highly sought-after youth demographic. A global leader in this sector, Cellcast’s proven business model is highly scalable, from small satellite channels to major terrestrial broadcasters, and is generating significant revenues for existing broadcast partners in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Cellcast Interactive India will also shortly open a Development and Technical Support Centre in Mumbai. Initially, the production and development facility will support programmes and applications distributed in the India market. Over time, the Centre is expected to play an increasing role in international product development.

Commenting on the launch of Cellcast Interactive India, Andrew Wilson, CEO of Cellcast plc said: “We recognise the huge potential in India, and Cellcast is excited to participate in the growth of this market. The success of PlayTV has shown the high demand for our interactive services, and we look forward to launching new programmes and applications to build on this success.

“Cellcast is one of the few companies with an end-to-end interactive television solution, combining state of the art technology with compelling programming within a proven business model. With experience drawn from several continents, our expertise, programme portfolio, applications and technology platform deliver a distinct advantage to our broadcast and telecom partners in this rapidly expanding sector.”

For further information:

Media enquiries:

Notes to Editors:

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; Future TV, LBC, MBC, Dubai Television and Rotana in the Middle East; Telefe in Argentina, and Zee TV and Star TV in India.

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.