Mind Games, Two Way TV’s interactive games channel, will be launched in New Zealand later this year, in a three-year deal with Sky Network Television.
The Two Way TV games service will be similar to that provided on the Foxtel and Austar platforms in Australia. The subscription games channel with five games, including word and trivia games, will be offered to Sky’s digital subscriber base of over half a million homes in New Zealand and the companies will share revenue equally.
Two Way TV Australia recently acquired interactive television development company Holotype, which has contracts with Sky New Zealand for interactive racing. “We are building a very solid relationship with Sky,” said Jim McKay, the managing director of Two Way TV Australia.
John Fellet, the chief executive of Sky New Zealand, said he believed the word and trivia games will appeal to audiences seeking a challenge. He added that the games would complement the existing interactive offering and “grow the overall level of game playing on the Sky platform.”
The announcement builds on a three year deal with Prime Television earlier this year to provide interactivity for television programmes in New Zealand.
A separate company, listed on the Australian stock exchange, Two Way TV Australia has an exclusive licensing agreement with Two Way Media in the UK.