EA and Endemol Make Deal or No Deal Mobile
LONDON, Aug 14, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
Today, Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) announced it has signed
an agreement with UK production company Endemol for its market leading
television property, Deal or No Deal. The agreement gives EA
Mobile(TM), a division of EA's Casual Entertainment Label, the rights
to develop, market and publish brand new mobile games based on the
Deal or No Deal TV series for the UK mobile market. The first game is
scheduled to be released in November 2008.
Deal or No Deal first launched in the UK in October 2005 and has
pervaded UK popular culture since then. The hugely popular show
attracts average daily audiences of over 2.3 million on Channel 4 and
the format has aired in over 80 countries worldwide. EA Mobile will
build on the brand values that have created this success to develop
games that deliver an experience that faithfully reflects the elements
the fans love from the TV show - the contestants, the camaraderie and
the nail-biting drama.
"We are excited to have the chance to work on one of the most
successful TV properties of recent years," said Javier Ferreira, VP of
European Publishing, EA Mobile. "Deal or No Deal is a phenomenally
successful programme, particularly in the UK, and we look forward to
creating games that will bring the true spirit of the series to a new
audience on mobile platforms."
"At Endemol, we have been looking for a partner in the mobile
space to help bring this phenomenal property to an even broader
audience," said Jurian van der Meer, Head of Products & Brand
Exploitation, Endemol Digital Media. "We want to focus on our core
strength, that of creating incredibly popular IP for a mass broadcast
audience and work with global partners, such as EA Mobile, to take our
TV proposition to new pervasive platforms."
For more information on EA Mobile, please visit www.eamobile.com.
About Endemol UK
Endemol UK is one of the largest independent production companies
in Britain and annually produces over 6,000 hours of output. It
incorporates a number of production brands including Brighter
Pictures, Cheetah Television, Initial and Zeppotron. These four
specialise in a range of genres including comedy, game shows,
entertainment, specialist factual and scripted series.
Endemol UK is also a market leader in digital media and also
incorporates, Endemol Gaming and Digital Studios - which specialise in
digital content. In addition, the UK group has a 25% stake in digital
entertainment producer and distributor MoMedia International Ltd and a
40% stake in Pure Grass Films.
The UK group's credits include factual entertainment series Gok's
Fashion Fix (Channel 4), Supersize vs. Superskinny (Channel 4);
Coleen's Real Women (ITV2) and Ready Steady Cook (BBC Two); hit game
shows Deal or No Deal (Channel 4), 1 vs. 100 (BBC ONE); Golden Balls
(ITV1) and The Kids Are All Right (BBC ONE); reality blockbuster Big
Brother (Channel 4; E4); and comedy series 8 Out Of 10 Cats (Channel
4), Would I Lie To You (BBC ONE) and Charlie Brooker's Screen Wipe
(BBC Four; BBC Two).
The company is also behind a growing portfolio of innovative
multiplatform entertainment including Bebo's groundbreaking online
reality show, Gap Year; BBC THREE's online and TV event Upstaged; O2's
first ever made-for-mobile drama, Cell; BBC online interactive drama
Signs of Life and BBC THREE's interactive comedy series The Wall.
Endemol UK is part of Endemol - a global leader in entertainment
that comprises an international network of companies that spans over
20 countries on five continents.
Endemol is owned by a consortium consisting of Goldman Sachs
Capital Partners, Mediaset Group and Cyrte Group. For more
information, please visit www.endemol.com.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City,
California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software
company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and
distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems,
personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic
Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS(TM),
EA(TM), EA SPORTS Freestyle(TM) and POGO(TM). In fiscal 2008, EA
posted GAAP net revenue of USD 3.67 billion and had 27 titles that
sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site
is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of
press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.
Electronic Arts, EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle, and POGO are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the
U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners.
SOURCE: Electronic Arts Inc.
Weber Shandwick PR for EA Mobile
Guy McGerr, +44 (0)20 7067 0337
gmcgerr@webershandwick.com
or
EA Casual Entertainment
Deborah Coster, +44 (0)1483 463664
dcoster@ea.com