YooPlay Games (lost interactive TV game service; 2003-2006): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:57, 14 August 2016

This article has been tagged as Needing work due to its lack of organization.

YooPlay TV logo.

Status: Lost

YooPlay/YooPlay Games was an interactive TV service which featured gambling and betting games. The channel was available on Freeview channel 106, the NTL Interactive menu, the Telewest Interactive menu, and the Sky Digital Interactive menu. On Sky, YooPlay Games was replaced by YooPlay TV (channel 850).

The channel officially launched on Freeview channel 53 (multiplex D) on 23 May 2003 as Free2Play, with all the games on the channel available to play free of charge (as well as offering access to various ring tones, Java based games, and radio). However, later that year the channel introduced paid-for content games, in which the player had to phone-in a premium rate number to gain access to the channel, hence the channel's re-branding to F2P Games the following year. In late 2004, F2P dropped the brand completely and aligned with its sister on Sky Digital, YooPlay Games.

In late 2005 the service switched to multiplex C. Around this time, YooMedia decided to lease certain hours of the channel's bandwidth to other broadcasters, namely overnight EPG services (presently tvtv DIGITAL), and reduced the output on the YooPlay Games channel significantly. The games channel was closed entirely on 18 July 2006, when YooMedia leased its remaining capacity to SMG plc's Virgin Radio (broadcasting on Freeview channel 727). YooMedia's EPG-service contract remains in place.

No footage of the channel has surfaced online in any form, but there are several screenshots of the games one could play on the service.

Another YooPlay TV logo.
A screenshot of the YooPlay menu.
Another YooPlay menu screenshot.
YooPlay Darts.
YooPlay Tetris.
YooPlay Football.

External Links

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
      |[[File:Lmwtan cleanup.png|frameless|300px|link=LMW-tan]]
      |This article has been tagged as <span style="color:blue">'''Needing work'''</span> due to its lack of organization.
-     |} '''YooPlay Games''' was a TV interactive service which featured gambling and betting games. The channel was available on Freeview channel 106 and the Sky Digital Interactive menu. On Sky YooPlay Games was replaced by YooPlay TV (channel 850).
+     |}
+    {{InfoboxLost
+    |title=<center>YooPlay Games</center>
+    |image=Yooplay-TV-logo.gif
+    |imagecaption=YooPlay TV logo.
+    |status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
+    }}
-The channel officially launched on Freeview channel 53 (multiplex D) on 23 May 2003 as Free2Play, with all the games on the channel available to play free of charge. However, later that year the channel introduced paid-for content games, which the player had to phone a premium rate number to gain access to the channel, hence the channel's re-branding to F2P Games the following year. In late 2004, F2P dropped the brand completely and aligned with its sister on Sky Digital, YooPlay Games.
+'''YooPlay/YooPlay Games''' was an interactive TV service which featured gambling and betting games. The channel was available on Freeview channel 106, the NTL Interactive menu, the Telewest Interactive menu, and the Sky Digital Interactive menu. On Sky, YooPlay Games was replaced by YooPlay TV (channel 850).
-In late 2005 the service switched to multiplex C. At around this time, YooMedia decided to lease certain hours of the channel's bandwidth to other broadcasters, namely overnight EPG services (presently tvtv DIGITAL), and reduced the output on the YooPlay Games channel significantly. The games channel was closed entirely on 18 July 2006, when YooMedia leased its remaining capacity to SMG plc's Virgin Radio (broadcasting on Freeview channel 727). YooMedia's EPG-service contract remains in place.
+The channel officially launched on Freeview channel 53 (multiplex D) on 23 May 2003 as Free2Play, with all the games on the channel available to play free of charge (as well as offering access to various ring tones, Java based games, and radio). However, later that year the channel introduced paid-for content games, in which the player had to phone-in a premium rate number to gain access to the channel, hence the channel's re-branding to F2P Games the following year. In late 2004, F2P dropped the brand completely and aligned with its sister on Sky Digital, YooPlay Games.
-Only two images are known to exist.
+In late 2005 the service switched to multiplex C. Around this time, YooMedia decided to lease certain hours of the channel's bandwidth to other broadcasters, namely overnight EPG services (presently tvtv DIGITAL), and reduced the output on the YooPlay Games channel significantly. The games channel was closed entirely on 18 July 2006, when YooMedia leased its remaining capacity to SMG plc's Virgin Radio (broadcasting on Freeview channel 727). YooMedia's EPG-service contract remains in place.
-[[Category:Lost TV]]
+No footage of the channel has surfaced online in any form, but there are several screenshots of the games one could play on the service.
-[[Category:Needing work]]
-<center>
+[[Category: Lost TV]]
-[[File:Yooplay-TV-logo.gif]] [[File:Yoo play tv.jpg]]
-</center>
+<gallery mode=packed heights=175px>
+File:Yoo play tv.jpg|Another YooPlay TV logo.
+File:Yooplay_Menu_1.jpg|A screenshot of the YooPlay menu.
+File:Yooplay_Menu_2.jpg|Another YooPlay menu screenshot.
+File:Yooplay_Darts.jpg|YooPlay Darts.
+File:Yooplay_Tetris.jpg|YooPlay Tetris.
+File:Yooplay_Football.gif|YooPlay Football.
+</gallery>
+== External Links ==
+*[https://web.archive.org/web/20030323040211/http://www.yoomedia.com/ Early 2000s YooMedia website]
+*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041205003758/http://www.yoomedia.com/yooplay/index.html Mid 2000's YooPlay website]
+*Various articles: [https://web.archive.org/web/20041016193224/http://www.freeview.co.uk/whatson/ch53.html 1] [http://itvt.com/story/209/five-yoomedia-team-launch-new-itv-enabled-channel-sky 2] [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/aug/11/channel5.bskyb 3] [http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/511696/five-goes-digital-brainteaser-deal# 4] [http://www.digitalspy.com/tech/satellite/news/a23417/fives-brainteaser-to-launch-on-yooplay/ 5] [http://informitv.com/2005/08/11/yoomedia-launch-interactive-tv-channel-with-five/ 6] [https://itvt.wordpress.com/2005/08/17/five-yoomedia-team-to-launch-new-itv-enabled-channel-on-sky/ 7]