NDS, a technology solutions provider for digital pay-TV, announced last week that it has partnered with SKY Italia to launch the first ever interactive television betting platform for the Italian market.
The platform allows SKY Italia’s customers to securely place bets on a range of sports through two of Italy’s leading bookmakers, Snai and Italbet, from the convenience of their television sets. By clicking a button on their remote control, customers will be given the choice of betting through both operators’ betting systems-- provided that the customer already has a valid account with the selected operator. Viewers will then be able to choose from a range of sports bets that are updated in real time as new betting opportunities arise.
NDS developed a specific technology infrastructure and tools for the project. The system’s platform is directly linked to each bookmaker’s back-end system, from where it converts the relevant data into a
broadcasting signal which is sent to users’ set-top boxes (STB) through SKY Italia’s satellite network. The data resides in the STB, where it is updated in real time and displayed through a unique navigation system that enables users to view all the available bets in a categorized menu. When a user places a bet, the information is encrypted and sent securely through a telephone line back to the bookmaker, with users receiving a confirmation receipt on their television screen.
NDS, also announced that it has launched two new, innovative sports games with SKY Italia for the Italian market. Building on NDS’s expertise in producing interactive television-based games for leading industry
broadcasters and content providers such as BSkyB, DIRECTV, Nickelodeon and The Cartoon Network, the company has partnered with SKY Italia to create "Kick-Off" and "Goleador" football games to cater for the Italian broadcast sports market.
"Kick-Off" immerses players in a free kick situation, with both opponents and team mates displayed on the screen. The player has the option to pass the ball to a fellow team member or shoot directly for the goal. During the 2006 World Cup, Italian fans play as the Italian team and will then face the opposing teams that Italy will be competing against in this year’s World Cup. Game play increases in difficulty as the player continues to advance through each stage.
In "Goleador", players receive a pass from one of their team mates and then must shoot or head the ball into the goal in order to score points. As players progress through the game, the difficulty increases, with players facing higher-speed passes at more difficult angles and positions.
SKY Italia customers will be able to play both games for a cost of €1.50 per day.
Francesco Portolano of Portolano Colella Cavallo, an Italian law firm that specializes in gambling, says the development is completely legal. "SKY is launching this through a partnership with an operator licensed by the Italian State. That's it," he said.
Jesper Knutsson, VP Interactive TV of NDS commented, "We are very pleased to be partnering with SKY Italia on an industry first in Italy. Our middleware provides a very intuitive and attractive user experience, giving SKY Italia’s customers a full range of sports bets that are normally only available through a betting shop or online. This should open the market to more casual betters, who may not otherwise have participated in these activities. In addition to the ease of use, the strong encryption and parental control features make it a very safe offering for consumers."
Ivano Airoldi, Director of Business and Interactive of SKY Italia said, “This is a fantastic product and we are very grateful to be working with NDS. Our customers will now be able to enjoy the convenience of placing bets on sporting events through the comfort of their own home.”
SKY Italia
SKY Italia, the Italian satellite platform fully owned by News Corp., (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) had total assets as of March 31, 2006 of approximately US$55 billion and total annual revenues of approximately US$25 billion. It was officially launched in July 2003.
The platform currently broadcasts over 160 TV, audio, interactive and pay-per-view channels ranging from sports to cinema, news, entertainment, documentaries, children, music and much more. As of March 2006, SKY Italia had more than 3,700,000 customers, with 95% of subscribers having chosen premium packages that include cinema and/or sports.
NDS
NDS Group plc (NASDAQ / Euronext Brussels: NNDS), a News Corporation company, is a supplier of open end-to-end digital pay TV solutions for the secure delivery of entertainment and information to television set-top boxes and IP devices.