Interactive Television Entertainment

Interactive Television Entertainment (ITE) was a Copenhagen-based Danish company founded in 1988 as SilverRock Productions and renamed to ITE in 1992. It was best known for developing and producing the Hugo media franchise.

Interactive Television Entertainment ApS
Formerly
SilverRock Productions
IndustryInteractive entertainment
FatePurchased by NDS Group in 2006 and renamed NDS Denmark
Rights to Hugo franchise divested to Krea Medie A/S in 2008
NDS Denmark closed in 2010
SuccessorNDS Denmark
Founded1988 (1988)
FounderIvan Sølvason
Defunct2010 (2010)
Headquarters
Copenhagen
,
Denmark
ProductsVideo games
OwnerNews Corporation
ParentNDS Group

History

The company was founded by Ivan Sølvason in 1988.[1] It was renamed as Interactive Television Entertainment in 1992, following the launch of the first Hugo TV show in 1990,[2] which was created together with Niels Krogh Mortensen.[3] Following the success of Hugo, the originally very small company would grow to 19 permanent employees and about 50 contracted freelancers by 1994.[4] ITE Media game development and publishing company was founded for the development of Hugo video game series in 1998.[2]

Besides its successful Hugo shows and game adaptations, the company's television products included the motion capture system Animation Mask System (AMS) developed in 1993 and the programs Crazy Cartoon Soccer (1995), The Interactive Cartoon Show (1998), Stinky & Bäver (Stinky & Stomper), Throut & Neck (1998), Sporty, and Tush Tush.[5][6] ITE opened overseas offices in Los Angeles in 1997, in Tokyo in 1998, and in London in 1999.[7] By 2005, ITE was regarded as one of Denmark's five largest video game developers.[8] In 2000, ITE had net sales of DKK 66 million.[9] The company released over 190 video games,[10] selling more than six million copies.[11]

In 2002, Sølvason was forced to sell all of ITE to the venture capital company Olicom A/S for only DKK 5 million,[12][13] having lost an earlier offer of DKK 80 million in 2000 due to a 10-minute fax delay by adviser Arthur Andersen corporate finance division;[14][15] Olicom had already owned 50% shares in ITE since 2001 (acquired for DKK10 million).[9] Olicom then invested $22 million into the company,[16] reduced the staff of ITE by a third to 60 employees and attempted to expand more into the U.S., UK, and Asian markets.[17] Olicom in turn sold ITE in 2006, by then staffed by only 35 employees.[18] ITE was purchased by NDS Group for an undisclosed sum and became NDS Denmark;[19][20] NDS Denmark closed down in 2010,[21] but without rights to Hugo franchise, which was divested to Krea Medie A/S in 2008. ITE's last CEOs were Steen Lohse between January–August 2006, and Jesper Knutsson after him.[2]

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References
  1. "ITE - Interactive Television Entertainment Games - IGN". Uk.ign.com. Retrieved 2013-08-03.
  2. (in German) Firma Historie Archived 2013-11-13 at the Wayback Machine, Hugo-Troll.de
  3. Jacob Andersen. "Hugos far bortadopterer tv-trolden - Computerworld". Computerworld.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2013-08-03.
  4. Datormagazin 9/94 (24 May 1994). https://archive.org/stream/Datormagazin1994/Datormagazin_1994_nr09#page/n15/mode/2up – via Internet Archive. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. "Wayback Machine" (PDF). 15 March 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 March 2003. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  6. "Interactive Television Entertainment - The Interactive Cartoon Show - Crazy Cartoon Soccer - Hugo Safari - Throut and Neck". Itvdictionary.com. Retrieved 2013-08-03.
  7. "ITE opens London office to boost its format sales | News | Broadcast". Broadcastnow.co.uk. 1999-05-07. Retrieved 2013-08-03.
  8. "The Danish Computer Game Industry Annual Mapping 2005 : Copenhagen Business School" (PDF). Cbs.dk. May 2005. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  9. "Olicom Acquires Interest in Interactive Television Entertainment ApS Pink Sheets:OLCMF". Globenewswire.com. Retrieved 2013-08-03.
  10. "Wayback Machine" (PDF). 15 March 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 March 2003. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  11. "Wayback Machine" (PDF). 31 August 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 August 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  12. (in Danish) Hugos far er umulig at slå ud, Erhvervsbladet.dk, 5 September 2007.
  13. (in Danish) Reuters, Olicom tredoblede tab efter nedskrivning på portefølje, Euroinvestor.com, 28/08/2002.
  14. (in Danish) Hugo's far sælger millionvillaen, TV 2 Finans, 4-06-11.
  15. (in Danish) Forsinket fax kostede Hugo-skaber dyrt, Daily Rush, 11 December 2001.
  16. (in Danish) Hugos far bortadopterer tv-trolden, ComON, 16 July 2002.
  17. (in Danish) Søren Dietrichsen, Tv-trolden Hugo på nye eventyr i USA, Erhvervsbladet.dk, 4 September 2002
  18. (in Danish) Søren Dietrichsen, Tv-trold overlever turbulent ejerskifte, Erhvervsbladet.dk, 26 June 2006.
  19. "Updates - News Corp. Acquire Danish Developer". Gamasutra.com. 2006-10-02. Retrieved 2013-08-03.
  20. NDS acquires Danish game design company ITE Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine, PresseBox, 02.10.2006
  21. (in Danish), Reuters, Stort spilfirma drejer nøglen om i Danmark, TV 2 Finans, 19-11-10.
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