TNA On Japanese Television, Impact In Australia, Bischoff Comments On Project With TV Icon
- TNA announced today that they have reached an agreement with Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV) to bring their programming to Japanese television. Impact Wrestling will air at 7:30pm every Saturday night on NTV channel G+, while the company's pay-per-view events will be broadcast monthly on the channel.
- TNA also accounced that they have signed a new two-year contract extension with Fuel TV Australia. In addition to Impact Wrestling airing weekly, Unfinished Business and British Boot Camp will also air on the channel.
- Eric Bischoff's game development company announced the launch of "The Hoff" games. You can read the full press release below:
Bischoff Hervey Entertainment Division Lands David Hasselhoff for Gaming
MX Digital, a game developer co-owned by Bischoff Hervey Entertainment Television (BHE TV), today announced the upcoming launch of "The Hoff" series of games, starring pop culture icon and celebrity David Hasselhoff. The game is slated for a Valentine's Day release online in the UK, with Hasselhoff appearing at promotional events and interviews in London. "We're scheduled to do a meet and greet with players, and stream a live video interview on Facebook, Friday, 8 February," noted Mr. Hasselhoff.
"We're very excited about Mr. Hasselhoff joining our catalog of celebrity and branded content," says Eric Bischoff, co-founder of BHE TV. "David is a perfect example of MX Digital Gaming's strategy of identifying relevant brands and introducing them to the market within unique, cutting edge games."
Established in 2008, MX Digital is a leading developer of interactive. With offices in Los Angeles, Buenos Aries, and Miami, MX develops and distributes games in more than 20 countries. With a heavy focus on proven brands, they are industry-leaders in game design, game marketing and promotion. "The Hoff" games are produced in coordination with London-based OpenBet, a leading games-platform and distributor reaching an audience of more than 25 million players in the UK alone.
The first two versions of "The Hoff" are aimed at the online casino market in Europe in the first quarter of 2013, an audience well known for their affinity for the star of Knight Rider and Baywatch.
The majority of industry analysts anticipate significant near-term growth for online gambling, both in the United States and worldwide, with growth rates of 40% per year already common in Europe. Globally, the sector is currently worth an estimated $380 billion per year.
"The response 'The Hoff' has gotten in the marketplace has been phenomenal. Our pre-sales and distribution agreements have exceeded all our expectations. We originally planned to launch a single game, but ended up creating several spinoffs," added MX Digital's Director of Business, Ike McFadden.
"Hasselhoff has a unique appeal to our audience, and his active participation in the game and the marketing has been a real differentiator for us. In addition to the game, he's worked with us to produce exclusive songs and music videos to promote the project. 'The Hoff' looks likely to be one of the most widely-distributed games in the sector for this year," added McFadden.
In the past 12 months, the market for social gambling games has doubled to $1.6 billion worldwide, making it one of the fastest growing social game genres. Today it accounts for almost a quarter of total social gaming revenue globally.
Immediately following the European release, a social-media version of "The Hoff" will hit Facebook.