MGM Cuts Deal With FremantleMedia for Online Slots

Published: Friday, August 21, 2009 Online-Casinos.com

FremantleMedia, Europe's largest TV, radio, and production company whose headquarters are located in London, United Kingdom has signed a deal with MGM movie studios for the exclusive licensing rights to MGM movies for online casino game themes.

Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer movies such as "A Fistful of Dollars" and "Robocop" agreed to a deal to lease the themes only to players and Internet gambling sites outside of the USA. FremantleMedia, Ltd. which has had previous incarnations as All American Television, LBS Communications, and Pearson Television is the content and production division of RTL Group. RTL Group is 90% owned by Bertelsmann AG, one of Germany's major historic companies. Bertelsmann AG has operations in more than 50 countries and over a hundred thousand employees. FremantleMedia Enterprises is the commercial arm of the RTL company responsible for exploiting and developing FremantleMedia's properties off-screen in areas such as merchandising, the Internet, interactive television and wireless. FremantleMedia is broken down into two major divisions, Creative Networks, which comprises and co-ordinates local production operations, and FremantleMedia Enterprises, which handles distribution and licensing.

Fremantle has developed games based on "American Idol" and "The Price is Right," with a "Baywatch" game coming soon. Head of Ventures for FremantleMedia since 2007 Paul Kanareck, who is responsible for driving new investment and revenue opportunities said, MGM, "has brands that people have grown up with, and which have strong themes such as Westerns, ancient Egypt and science fiction." adding, "All translate well into games across a range of platforms."

The MGM Mirage, casino and hotel company, and Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer movies are totally separate entities after the movie division was sold in 2000 to Sony pictures. Fremantle will be given the option to develop games using the movie themes, or to lease the rights to other software developers for the creation of new web based casino slots.