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CRICKET FANS TO TRIAL NEW INTERACTIVE SPORTS GAME 20 Dec 2001
An exclusive deal between CricInfo, the world's largest single sport website, and tradingSports, the innovative new interactive sports game, will allow CricInfo users to trade on the outcome of tomorrow's third and final Test match between England and India - right up until the last ball is bowled. The application of the game on the CricInfo site has been approved on a one-off trial basis and marks the first occasion that the game has been made accessible to the public during a live cricket match. Based on the same principle as the stock market, the new person-to-person game gives fans the opportunity to influence the 'state of the market' by buying and selling either team throughout the duration of the five-day Test - depending upon the state of the game. On this occasion the player with the highest number of points at the end of the match will win a shirt signed by Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar. Alex Chamberlen, Director of Sales at CricInfo, commented: "Allowing our users to trade on cricket at the climax of this series is a great way to test this exciting concept. We hope that applications of this kind will become significant revenue streams for the future to sit alongside more established concepts such as fixed-odds and spread betting." Joe Tighe, CEO of tradingSports Ltd said: "The tradingSports concept lends itself well to Test Match cricket and we are delighted to have the opportunity to showcase the game to what promises to be a massive potential audience on the CricInfo site next week." "The trial is a major step in the development of the tradingSports concept," he added. Based on a highly scalable platform capable of supporting hundreds of thousands of players in multiple countries and multiple languages, tradingSports is designed specifically for use in the sporting arena. Unlike traditional gaming and gambling, tradingSports allows a player to make gains on trades during the events and even to switch sides. The game can be accessed by consumers over the internet, mobile phones, PDA and interactive television and was first tested to the public during October's Six Nations match between England and Ireland on ITV Active - the first ever case of person to person betting / gaming on interactive TV. For further information please contact:
Andrew Whittall / Tom Maidment at WSM on tel. 020 7592 7170 Notes to Editors:
Players take 'shares' in the team or player that they feel will win the event, which they then trade based on events before and during the match. The game is free - players start with a given number of points and aim to win prizes by increasing the points in their share portfolio as the match progresses. To start trading players only need register once at www.tradingsports.com or at one of our partner sites. All players then receive points with which to trade and a username and password to access their private portfolio through which they can trade on their favourite games, check their trade history, and track the performance of their favourite teams. Prices for each team fluctuate constantly as players react to the momentum of the match, especially as the game progresses and tension builds. Prices for each team always add up to a total of one hundred points, with the team thought most likely to win costing the most. The changing prices are shown, real-time on the match indicator, which sits at the bottom of the television screen whilst the match is played. Once they have made their stake players can 'buy' or 'sell' more shares based on the events before and during the game. Prices move with the slightest change in a match, and of course with the more serious ones. Uniquely, tradingSports also pays out if the result is a draw between two teams.
TradingSports builds strategic relationships with digital broadcasters, sports-news websites, federations and other sports affiliated websites who then white label the gaming system and offer it to their own customers. This model allows our partner companies to offer their customers cutting edge gaming technology with minimum implementation, time and cost, whilst enabling tradingSports to leverage off of their existing client base, meaning more and more people from all over the world can get involved. About CricInfo:CricInfo Limited is the world's leading digital cricket information company. CricInfo's web site, www.cricinfo.com, is the most popular cricket site in the world and is among the internet's most popular sports sites, estimated to reach more than fifteen million fans in 180 countries. CricInfo has its Head Office in the UK, with regional offices in Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Satyam Infoway Limited (NASDAQ: SIFY), India's leading internet services and e-commerce company acquired a 25% stake in CricInfo last year. CricInfo works with cricket boards and cricket organisations, blue chip companies and the media to deliver cricket content for a wide range of different platforms. It currently produces official sites for eight of the ten Test-playing countries, for the ICC and for a number of domestic teams worldwide. |
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