Leading European Entertainment Network concludes deal with SkillPod Media
May 17th, 2010RTL Group, the leading European Entertainment Network and largest distribution company outside the US, concluded a deal with SkillPod Media to integrate a game offering into their Dutch website. With 45 TV channels, and 32 radio stations in 11 countries and worldwide production, this deal increases SkillPod’s reach into Europe and lays the foundation for a number of deployments of our robust casual games platform with the RTL Group across Europe and the surrounding territories, says Mark van Diggelen, CEO of SkillPod Media.
What does the deal encompass?
RTL has implemented a custom SkillPod XML (extensible mark-up language) API (application programming interface) which has been designed and setup according to the specific requirements of RTL Netherlands. This approach allows RTL to manipulate the data received via the XML feed into their proprietary content management system and thus display the content as per their websites design templates. With this structure future enhancements and new modules can quickly and seamlessly be integrated into the publishers website, without having to fully redesign the layout to accommodate the new features, adds van Diggelen.
The fantastic features included
The data query features include a list of online games, with all relevant information such as images, flash path, description, help etc; a list of all games per category; search for a specific game; a player profile listing, and all relevant information such as high scores, friends and messages; sending of messages; requesting of friends; top most played games; players recently played games; players favourite games; player transaction history, i.e. pods (the SkillPod Virtual Currency module) debited and credited; and a search for nicknames when searching for friends to add to your ever growing friends list. There are also options to set up a mobile games section.
Why the hype?
The brilliance of this API is that it allows companies such as RTL to exercise full control over how the games display, what games display, player interactions etc. The API allows for single log in functionality as well – meaning that players can use a registered OpenID on a publishers website with SkillPod being able to interface with that OpenID and thus allowing secure and seamless passing of player data, thus enriching the users experience as they register once and then have access to all content on offer by the publisher.
Bring a little fun home…
Any website wishing to increase the user traffic and website views, and which fits into the category of being able to offer a games section, such as what RTL has done, should seriously consider integrating a games section into their website – which will lighten life up a little!
