Two Way Signs Exclusive Deal with 'Tringo'

Two Way Signs Exclusive Deal with 'Tringo'

Builds assets for major play in casual games

SYDNEY, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Two Way TV Australia Limited ("Two Way") has acquired the exclusive global rights to develop and sell the PC download version of one of the world's fastest growing and highest profile casual games, Tringo.

Tringo combines the best features of the traditional puzzle games and Bingo, and was developed within the virtual world of Second Life. It has been recognised as a major driver of subscribers to Second Life.

The three-year agreement -- which Two-Way has completed with Donnerwood Media, the publisher of Tringo -- covers all play-for-fun and promotional use of Tringo in PC download format.

The deal also delivers exclusive rights to offer the interactive TV version of Tringo in the major Asian markets.

The Chief Executive of Two Way, Chris Grant-Foster, said that having the rights to Tringo will enable Two Way to accelerate the development of its casual games portal.

"Tringo will spearhead our portal strategy, while giving us a head start in terms of brand building and accessing an existing customer base," he said.

"Having the PC download rights to a highly visible and well developed brand like Tringo also enables us to take advantage of the growing global demand for casual games accessed from this platform.

"Tringo also combines well with our interactive TV games business," Grant-Foster said. "Offering Tringo on our iTV games channels will improve the customer offering while also enabling us to implement cross-marketing activities."

Industry analysts estimate that the North American casual games market alone will ultimately be worth in excess of US$1 billion.

"Due to Korean and Chinese interest, the size of the worldwide market is already close to $1 billion," Grant-Foster said.

"With the casual games market in Europe and the rest of the world also growing, Two Way is well-positioned to continue to deliver profitable and attractive content across a number of delivery platforms."

Tringo was developed by Australian-based Nathan Keir within Second Life, the virtual world created by Linden Labs in San Francisco, USA.

Second Life is a unique environment, as its 1,000,000 subscribers -- or 'residents' -- can create and sell whatever they like within the virtual world, and deposit and withdraw money from their Second Life accounts. The Second Life platform is considered one of the most dynamic transactional environments in the gaming world, and is currently growing at 38% a month.

When it was first released Tringo is credited with causing an unprecedented spurt in growth of membership of Second Life, and the much anticipated upcoming release of Tringo 2.0 is expected to generate enormous interest in the game, particularly within the Second Life environment.

Tringo creator Nathan Keir (known in Second Life as "Kermitt Quirk") will also join Two Way as a part-time consultant to assist with the development of Tringo outside of Second Life. He will also provide cross-marketing support linking Tringo inside Second Life to Two Way's other Tringo initiatives.

For further information:

Chris Grant-Foster
CEO - Two Way
Phone: +612 9017 7000 or +61411 865 611
cgf@twowaytv.com.au
Sean Ryan
CEO - Donnerwoods
Phone: +1 415 543 6321

or

Daniel Barton
Head of Games and Media - Two Way
Phone: +612 9017 7000 or +61412 548 824
dbarton@twowaytv.com.au

About Donnerwood

Donnerwood is an online entertainment company based in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco. The company is backed by Battery Ventures, Transcosmos Partners, Allen & Co. and other individual investors. Donnerwood recently launched the beta version of Meez. Offering advanced avatar-building technology and a huge selection of content options, Meez enables consumers to create highly-customized 3D avatars in minutes. Meez avatars can then be used all over the Internet as personal identifiers. Find out more at www.meez.com. Donnerwood is also publisher of the popular online game called Tringo.

About Two Way

Two Way's strategic focus is to be the interactive partner of choice in Asia Pacific, providing content, applications and services across three key verticals:

* Wagering and Gambling
* Casual Games
* Mobile to TV Applications

Through its exclusive license agreements with Two Way Media Ltd (UK) and Zone4Play Inc (US), Two Way has access to the world's largest library of interactive TV applications, as well as leading-edge mobile and gambling applications.

Two Way's products and services reach a potential audience of 162 million people across seven countries, via distribution agreements with leading media groups including Foxtel, Austar, Sky New Zealand, Sky News Australia, STAR, PCCW, and MagiNet.

To learn more about Two Way Interactive visit www.twowaytv.com.au

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: asianet@aap.com.au

Source: Two Way Interactive Entertainment

CONTACT: Chris Grant-Foster, CEO, Two Way, +612-9017-7000, or
+61411-865-611, cgf@twowaytv.com.au; Sean Ryan, CEO, Donnerwoods,
+1-415-543-6321; or Daniel Barton, Head of Games and Media, Two Way,
+612-9017-7000, or +61412-548-824, dbarton@twowaytv.com.au

Web site: http://www.twowaytv.com.au/
http://www.meez.com/

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