Barney Moves Into IPTV Games

IPTV games aimed at the preschool set are in the offing thanks to a deal struck between TVHead and HITEntertainment.

The deal calls for TVHead to develop a series of interactive-TV games based on popular characters from Barney, Thomas and Friends, Bob the Builder and Angelina Ballerina for release in the fourth quarter on HIT’s preschool-oriented TV shows.

The games will each focus on specific learning activities. For example, Barney will focus on music and imagination, while Bob the Builder will focus on teamwork, problem solving and spatial relationships.

"HIT Entertainment is excited to be working with TVHead to deliver age-appropriate, innovative content for their new gaming platform," said Jamie Cygielman, HIT’s senior vice president. The TV series already provide parents with educational content they can trust, and "this new gaming platform will allow children to deepen their relationship with these characters, creating an even more engaging learning experience."

The games will be designed so that they can be played using the TV remote control. For the operator, TVHead’s proprietary technology simply plugs into existing on-demand systems and requires no special set-top boxes.