TAG Games-on-Demand TV Channel Beats Major Linear TV Channel Brands in Daily Viewing Averages

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- In a sign that may indicate a shift for interactive channels in the television landscape, TNS set-top box data measuring daily time spent viewing per STB revealed that TAG, the games-on-demand channel, topped 43 other linear channels available through Oceanic Time Warner Cable for the most minutes viewers spent watching.

The TAG games-on-demand channel was launched on Oceanic Time Warner Cable in October 2008. The TNS Average Daily Minutes (Viewed) data covers the period from January 2009 through December 2009. Each month, TAG consistently rated highest for most time spent viewing per day, topping such prominent brands as Disney, CNN, USA Network, Discovery, Lifetime, TNT, AMC and Nickelodeon. Over the course of the year (2009), the average time spent watching per household was 116.5 minutes per day.

"The data confirms what we've been seeing in the field – our subscribers are very happy with TAG and its games programming," said Alan Pollock, VP of Marketing at Oceanic Time Warner Cable. "It has been proven to become a popular addition to our interactive services."

"It's gratifying to have independent third party data corroborate the usage we've been seeing," said Sangita Verma, Founder and CEO of TAG Networks. "But even more valuable is knowing where TAG fits into the television network ecosystem. There is some fantastic television programming available today and viewers have choices so the fact that they are consistently choosing TAG as the network where they want to spend their time is exciting. If this was video, you'd see the big smile on my face."

TAG is an ad-supported channel available to all Oceanic Time Warner digital cable subscribers. The channel offers viewers a dynamic streaming games experience, whereby players use their TV remote to interact and play a variety of casual games, including popular brands Bejeweled 2™, Tetris®, Diner Dash™, and Barney™, as well as favorites including Texas Hold 'Em, Sudoku, Checkers, and more. The channel also offers robust community features, including high scores and multi-player games across households.

"The numbers are certainly impressive when compared with passive linear TV channel viewing," said Mitch Oscar, EVP Televisual Applications at MPG. "But more compelling is the fact that TAG is interactive and has the ability through Acxiom data matching to deliver commercials to targeted players that are already engaged with its gaming content."

As the market leader for games-on-demand to the cable television and IPTV industries, the TAG games-on-demand channel is powered by the TAG platform, which is specifically designed to meet operational concerns including limitations of headend space, power, air conditioning and bandwidth. The Company's platform reduces environmental impact and running costs while providing mass reach and ease of deployment to all digital cable/IPTV households by seamlessly integrating into their existing infrastructures.

TAG Networks has filed nine patents to date on its games platform. TAG is currently deployed to hundreds of thousands of households throughout the US via digital cable. Additional deployments and trials are slated over the next 12 months.

As the flagship of Time Warner Cable in Hawaii, Oceanic provides a diverse selection of entertainment and information services to nearly 350,000 households, schools and businesses.

About TAG Networks

TAG Networks has created the nation's first massively deployable television games channel for cable, IPTV and internet connected devices. The Company's TV games channel, called "TAG", brings high-quality casual games to broad television audiences. Its programming lineup features blockbuster brands and classic favorites in a multitude of genres – puzzle, cards, word, trivia, action, sports, and kids' games – that appeal to everyone in the family. The channel also supports rich community features and multi-device interaction. As the leading games-on-demand provider, TAG Networks' revolutionary technology, which seamlessly integrates into existing digital cable and IPTV infrastructures, provides incredible scalability and ease of functionality. With proven broad demographic appeal and unmatched viewer participation for TV games, TAG enables TV operators to capture revenue from over 100 million gaming households which subscribe to a digital pay TV service. For more information, visit www.playtag.com.

SOURCE TAG Networks