29 January 2007

StarHub harnesses the power of hubbing to offer a multi-platform gaming experience to customers
Free triple-play games offered to subscribers of StarHub’s Playin’TV channel

Singapore and Paris, France, 29 January 2007 -StarHub, Singapore's largest pay-TV operator, and Visiware, the world's leading provider of interactive TV games channels, announced today the launch of Playin’TV Triple Play - the first triple-play gaming offer in Asia that will be made available to customers of StarHub from 1 February 2007.

Subscribers of StarHub Digital Cable’s Playin’TV (Channel 401) will be able to play selected triple-play games, such as Sudoku and Carrot Mania on Ice via StarHub’s mobile platform and the Internet for free, thanks to Visiware’s Playin’Code technology.

This means that they will be able to enjoy the games anytime, anywhere, on any of StarHub’s media platforms - TV, mobile and online, and pick up from where they ended a game, without having to start from scratch. The company is also exploring ways to enhance the Playin’TV service by incorporating contests, real-time leaderboards and multiplayer games that will allow gamers to pit their skills against other players.

Mr Patrick Lim, StarHub’s Vice President of Cable TV Services said, “StarHub’s advantage as a fully-integrated information, communications and entertainment provider is its ability to offer customers access to a converged suite of services across different product lines. We have consistently worked to incorporate new technologies that allow us to present our customers more breadth and depth in content applications, and Playin’TV Triple Play is an example of the fruit of such efforts. Customers can certainly expect more of such innovations from StarHub.”

“We are delighted that Playin'TV Triple Play is now making its entry into the Asian market. StarHub's efficient and advanced network provides us with the opportunity to effectively deploy true triple-play content, to allow fans of Playin’TV to enjoy the games even when they’re on-the-go,” said Mr Laurant Weill, Executive Chairman of Visiware.

Playin’TV, a 24-hour interactive games channel, was launched on StarHub Digital Cable in August last year. The channel carries more than 200 game titles in various genres, and reaches more than 120 million people in 77 countries worldwide via 30 networks. In Singapore, customers of Playin’TV can access a total of 19 game titles monthly for S$8.40 (with GST) per month. Customers can play these games with their TV remote controls, and all StarHub Digital Cable customers who have yet to subscribe to the channels can sample short segments of the games via free trials that are available on the channel.

Playin’TV Triple Play is offered as a value-added service for customers of Playin’TV. These customers will be able to enjoy Playin’TV games with a triple-play component via the Internet and their mobile phones at no additional cost. Two Playin’TV Triple Play games are accessible monthly on mobile, and the game titles are refreshed regularly.

To play the games online, subscribers of Playin’TV simply need to access the Playin’TV page, and key in a ‘Monthly Password’, which is displayed at the channel’s main portal on TV.

To play the games on their mobile phones, customers need to send an SMS to the SMS number displayed at the channel’s main portal on TV. Following which, a WAP URL will be sent to their phones, prompting them to download the triple-play games. To continue from where they left off from the games, they will need to key in the ‘Playin’Code’ that is generated and displayed on their TV screens after the completion of each successful game level.

StarHub Mobile customers who do not subscribe to Playin’TV but wish to play the exciting Playin’TV mobile games can download them via StarHub’s Gee! portal accessible directly from their mobile phones or at StarHub's website from 28 February 2007. Each download is priced at S$6.30 (with GST). Those customers who are presently subscribing to StarHub Mobile’s ‘Unlimited Download Pack’, priced at S$5.25 monthly (with GST), will be able to obtain the games at no additional cost.