MIRA.L Regulatory News (MIRA)

1 Jun 2007 11:02

Yoomedia PLC01 June 2007 YooMedia plc / Ticker: YOO / Index: AIM / Sector: Media 1st June 2007 YooMedia plc ("YooMedia" or "the Company") Takes Control of Airtime of Pokerzone YooMedia, the AIM-traded interactive media and games group, has taken control ofthe Pokerzone television channel's airtime and certain day-to-day operationswith immediate effect, strengthening its position in the television-relatedgambling market, which the Board believes is set to become a key sectorfollowing the implementation of the Gaming Act on 1st September 2007. In returnfor the control of the airtime, the Company has written-off certain de minimistrade receivables relating to Pokerzone. YooMedia will supplement the channel's existing poker-related programming withadditions from its other gambling formats, including roulette. Pokerzone willcontinue to be broadcast on Sky Channel 843, whilst YooMedia's suite ofinteractive gambling content will continue to be available by pressing the redbutton broadcast on the channel. The Board intends to incorporate transactionalgaming content in Pokerzone's broadcast content, potentially generatingtransactional gaming revenues from viewers. The Board also intends to offerairtime to other gaming operators to promote their services in return for fees.The Board estimates that such a prominent position for a channel would be valuedat circa £250,000. In recent years, Pokerzone has been one of the leading providers of casino andpoker related television programming to over 16 million homes across Europe. Thechannel, which uses edit, office, play-out and live studio facilities atYooMedia's Broadcast Centre at Wapping, will continue to be broadcast fromthere. The change in control over Pokerzone's airtime comes after the Pokerzonechannel's original owners announced their withdrawal from the television market. YooMedia Managing Director Neil MacDonald said, "This event gives us fullcontrol over Pokerzone's airtime and licence as well as the ability to leverageour content further on a prominent gaming platform. Pokerzone will continue toprovide a varied televised gambling offering, initially through pre-recordedcontent and we are aiming to reintroduce some live programming on the channel assoon as possible. Additionally the withdrawal of the original owners allows usto gain control of a potentially lucrative channel for no consideration." * * ENDS * * For further information, visit www.yoomedia.com or contact: Michael Sinclair, Chairman YooMedia plc Tel: +44 (0) 20 7462 0870 Neil MacDonald, MD YooMedia plc Tel: +44 (0) 20 7462 0870 Mark Percy Seymour Pierce Limited Tel: +44 (0) 20 7107 8000 Hugo de Salis St Brides Media & Finance Tel: +44 (0) 20 7242 4477 Note to Editors: YooMedia plc is one of the UK's leading interactive entertainment content andservice providers. It conceives and delivers interactive content with whichbrands can engage and secure transactions from their consumer base. Thisactivity takes place across and can integrate multiple platforms, includinginteractive television, the web and mobile phones. The Company's client baseincludes broadcasters & content owners; brand owners and advertisers; gamingoperators, and retailers and service providers. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange