Channel Five Moves Into The Bingo Industry

Last year at the Annual Online Bingo Summit, it came to light that online bingo, in order to grow, should have a complimentary TV bingo programme to promote the website and vice versa. This has been accomplished in many different ways, we have seen online bingo sites sponsoring popular television programmes and online bingo sites with their own bingo programmes on various channel, generally satellite channels. Sites such as Wink Bingo have sponsored programmes such as the recent All Star Family Fortunes, whereas Gala Bingo and Bingo on the Box both have their game shows available on Freeview and Sky TV.

Channel five obviously already has a foot in the door as far as TV production is concerned, so they are taking the next step and entering into the online bingo and casino industry. This comes as a response to the channel's attempts to expand their digital business. And online bingo being as popular as it is in the UK, seems a logical next step for them to take.

They have already taken steps in this direction with FiveFwd, which is geared towards the male of the species and is an advertising supported portal, and Demand Five which is a video-on-demand service. But the premium bingo and casino portal which they envisage will be available within the next 6 months is going to be operated by Party Gaming. Party Gaming is a casino and bingo online software and operations company, and they are responsible for big names like Party Bingo and Party Poker. If there is money in it for Party Gaming, and there will be, Channel Five couldn't have chosen a better partner to help create new online revenue streams.

Comments from the Chief Executive of Channel Five, Dawn Airey, are pretty much to the tune that they are aggressively seeking online revenue streams as well as the expansion of their presence in the digital media, so this is the next logical step to take in terms of core broadcast content and other allied offerings. They also believe that an online bingo presence will further enhance the reputation of Channel Five as being dynamic and fun.