Mecca to launch Britain's Got Talent bingo
Meccabingo.com has signed a deal with Fremantle Media Enterprises (FME) to be the official online gaming partner of Britain's Got Talent, the UK's highest rated TV series in 2009.
MECCABINGO.COM has signed a deal with Fremantle Media Enterprises (FME) to be the official online gaming partner of Britain’s Got Talent, the UK’s highest rated TV series in 2009.
The three-year deal with FME, the brand extension arm of media production company Fremantle Media, will see MeccaBingo.com create a Britain’s Got Talent-branded online bingo room.
It also allows for the use of all branding material including theme music, logo and imagery, in marketing and communications on its website, as well as in land-based Mecca Bingo clubs.
Britain’s Got Talent was the UK’s highest rated TV series of 2009, boasting an average audience of 13.3 million viewers, and with 18.3 million tuning in to watch the finale. The initial audition of Scottish singing phenomenon and eventual runner-up Susan Boyle received over 200 million internet views.
Director of gaming for Mecca parent company Rank Interactive, Angus Nisbet, said: “This deal will give us exposure to a new audience, including the opportunity to promote meccabingo.com to Britain’s Got Talent fans. It will also enable us to enhance our offering to our existing customers.”
The company will hope that the deal will help the company to continue Rank’s reversal in bad fortune evident at the group’s full-year 2009 results last week.
FME senior vice president for licensing, UK, Dominic Burns said: “Last year’s series final was the most watched show on TV in 2009 and we are looking forward to building on that success in 2010 and beyond. These types of deals are crucial in extending the brand successfully beyond the TV screen.”
In other recent UK TV egaming news, William Hill and UK broadcaster ITV signed a deal to launch promotional website ITV.com/WilliamHill, while last month saw interactive gaming company NetPlay TV sign a new two year, six-day-a-week TV broadcast deal with STV Group, the biggest commercial broadcaster in Scotland.
In August last year, Fremantle gaming division Fremantle Media Gaming signed a deal with MGM to develop online casino games based on hit MGM movies titles including Fame, Stargate, Robocop and A Fistful of Dollars.
In other bingo news today, Italy’s Administrative Court of Appeal has ordered the temporary suspension of the Administrative Court of Lazio’s decision to reverse online bingo regulation today, meaning online operators can continue to offer the game in that country.