Satellite & Cable

Recreate Solutions win iTV contracts

Recreate Solutions, the new media services company based in London and Mumbai, has recently won three prestigious contracts in interactive television programming, worth over US dollars 2.5 million per annum. Recreate Solutions, started in October 2000 with funding from leading venture capital firm Connect Capital, has signed on Canal+ Technologies, Digital Interactive Television Group (a leading UK based television company) and Insead (leading French b-school).

Bhaskar Majumdar, Founder and CEO of Recreate Solutions, said, “These contracts, which we have won against stiff global competition, would lead Recreate into a positive cash flow status in this quarter. Last September, we had set ourselves the goal of cash break-even and of focussing on interactive television (iTV). Having achieved both of these objectives, Recreate is looking at the next phase of growth.”

Recreate Solutions is working with Canal+ Technologies to develop a karaoke system using the Mediahighway Platform of Canal+ Technologies. This karaoke system would enable subscribers of pay music channels to sing-along while a song is playing.

Recreate Solutions is also in discussions with Canal+ Technologies to develop a cricketing application around the platform. This would be used for the South Asian and West Asian markets, where Canal+ Technologies Mediahighway is already deployed. Recreate is also representing the interests of Canal+ Technologies in the Indian conditional access software market.

”The interactive television market is just emerging out of its initial days. The business model is now defined. Broadcasters and brand owners are looking at developing interactive properties. Recreate Solutions, with its understanding of all the leading middleware, is well positioned to take leadership in interactive television applications programming worldwide.” Majumdar added.

With Digital Interactive Television, Recreate is working on a new Bingo Channel through which users will be able to play Bingo live over the channel. Bingo is a game similar to tombola and through this gaming application; people will be able to play simultaneously through their set-top boxes, using their remote controls. Recreate is working with Insead, the leading French business school, to create interactive content and to put all their online courses on the broadband intranets.