Launched -- Following its Belgian launch, The Poker Channel said it will debut its programming in Germany via Unity Media's cable operators Ish and Iesy. The programming, including coverage of the European Poker Masters and the Million Dollar Cash Game, will air on channel 36. The agreement brings the channel's total subscriber base to 14.1 million homes across Scandinavia, France, Belgium and the United Kingdom.
Confident -- Irish spread-betting group WorldSpreads has said it expects pre-tax profits for the six months to the end of September to be "significantly" ahead of expectations. "The group's London-based operations are ahead of expectations while its Dublin-based operations significantly exceeded forecasts in all key areas," it said in a trading update issued today. The company acknowledged that volatility in the markets had also helped its performance, but said it remained confident regarding its second-half prospects. On Aug. 1, the company made its £5.77 million debut on AIM.
Inked -- Internet media delivery and services provider RealNetworks has entered into an agreement to acquire Game Trust Inc., a N.Y.-based casual gaming group. The Wall Street Journal quotes one person familiar with the matter as valuing the deal at $20 million. "Our partners want to add social networking to their sites to further engage their game players," said Harold Zeitz, senior vice president for Real's games division. Game Trust is a start-up that supplies tools to online game sites that let them add social-networking features such as chat, multiplayer gaming capabilities and competitive tournaments. Its customers include Time Warner Inc.'s America Online and Miniclip Ltd., a European games site.
Hired -- Edward Ihre has joined Ladbrokes to become the first managing director for its poker division. Ihre reports to John O’Reilly, managing director of remote betting and gaming at Ladbrokes. "Ladbrokespoker is a strong brand in the online poker world and also operates some of the best offline events," Ihre said. "My focus will be on continuing the innovation and growth Ladbrokespoker.com has demonstrated in recent years and establishing a market-leading affiliate network." Ihre hails from PokerStars, where he served as director of affiliates and partnerships.
Affiliated -- Income Access has joined Unibet's affiliate program.
Gaining -- The Guardian reports that among the mid-caps Thursday, PartyGaming climbed 2p to 29 on hopes that "the U.S. government could yet make a U-turn in its anti-online gambling legislation."
Stock Watch -- On the LSE, PartyGaming was down 1.50p to 27.50, WorldSpreads was up 7.50p to 76 and Ladbrokes was up 6p to 431.75.