Reliance Big TV, the DTH subsidiary of Reliance Communications, and Indiagames, subsidiary of UTV, announced the signing of a strategic agreement to introduce DTH Gaming services in India. As per this agreement, Indiagames will offer gaming services on Reliance Big TV’s DTH platform in India.

As part of its agreement with Reliance Big TV, Indiagames will leverage its partnership with US-based Oberon Media, to provide specialized games for Reliance Big TV’s DTH platform. Oberon Media is a world-leading multi-platform casual games solution provider delivering global, integrated casual games solutions across online, mobile and interactive television. The games offered on RBTV’s DTH platform will be amongst the most popular game series currently available for PC, Web and other media platforms.

Commenting on its agreement with Indiagames, Sanjay Behl, Chief Executive Officer, Reliance Big TV said, “Our strategic tie-up with Indiagames is an extension of our business relationship with the UTV Group. iGames also signifies our focus to further enhance and monetize our VAS capabilities towards a profitable growth in the DTH business.”

According to Samir Bangara, Chief Operating Officer, Indiagames said, “This initiative, and the DTH partnership with Oberon Media, marks our foray to the third screen of gaming making us the first Indian triple play games company with a strong presence across– mobile, PC and now DTH. With unparalleled content and cutting edge technology from Oberon, optimized for a rich user experience, we are truly taking the gaming experience on TV to a whole new level.”

Reliance Big TV will offer the DTH Gaming service as part of its Interactive Services. Branded as iGames, Reliance BIG TV and Indiagames will offer eight different games that will be refreshed every month cutting across multiple genres. The games include leading titles from I-play, Oberon’s publishing division: Galapago, Solitaire (with 4 different versions including Classic, FreeCell, Pyramid and Towers), MOODiES, Space MOODiES, Air Hockey, and Darts, as well as premium 3rd party licenses.Indiagames is also planning to introduce local content including its top selling T20 cricket games and Bollywood games like Chance Pe Dance, Kaminey and Jodhaa Akbar amongst others.

The launch of DTH Gaming services is part of RBTV’s strategy to drive profitable growth through innovative DTH VAS services. Currently, the company’s VAS offerings are limited to its PPV bouquet and an array of six free-of-cost interactive features like iCooking, iastro, istock, iCricket, iNews, following the launch of iGames service, Reliance Big TV plans to monetize its VAS capabilities.

Indiagames, India’s leading cross media games company, brings yet another pioneering initiative much like they did in mobile and the online games space. With an extensive user base on the mobile and web, the renowned gaming company will now, for the first time, introduce gaming in a whole new format through interactive games on the DTH platform.

RBTV plans its VAS business to be a key driver of revenues. Though, VAS currently contributes less than 5% of overall business revenues, Reliance plans to double the VAS contribution to overall revenues during the next fiscal. iGames is expected to contribute 10% of the Reliance Big TV’s VAS usage with a cumulative business revenue of over Rs 100 crores over the next 5 years.

As part of this strategy, RBTV is planning to introduce a series of VAS offerings which will offer monetizing opportunities to drive the financial growth of the company. As part of this outlook, the company is building three specific streams of revenues in the direction of PPV, Interactivity and Advertising.

As part of its drive to enhance the monetizing opportunity of its PPV offerings, the RBTV is focusing on building its regional PPV repertoire. The company is in talks with various regional film producers and production houses for the DTH rights of regional language films. This regional PPV repertoire will help RBTV cater to the regional viewing needs of its customers across various languages in India. Reliance BIG TV is also planning to introduce HD content sourced globally on its DTH platform.

The interactivity revenue drive will be done by offering unique and benchmark interactive services offering great value proposition to its subscribers. As part of this focus, RBTV will launch a series of interactive services over the next few months including iJobs, iHolidays, iMatrimony, iEstate, iJuniors, iEducation, iHealth etc.

One of the major revenue drivers for RBTV will be advertising sales. Reliance Big TV has roped in NetworkPlay, India’s leading vertical multi genre brand ad networks, to monetise all its interactive and video channel offerings. RBTV will offer multiple branding opportunities through its 21 owned and operated pay per view and SVOD movie channels, interactive zones like iAstro, iStock, iCooking and iCare. There exists multiple video opportunities outside of banner communications on Big TV whose reach is close over two million connections in over 6,800 towns across India. RBTV's partnership with NetworkPlay was based on their agreement to leverage its sales capabilities, evangelising capabilities and a proven track record of working with marquee brands successfully delivering complete value to their partners. NetworkPlay is a Capital 18 and GMV funded venture.