Submitted by Mike Grenville on Mon, 10 Oct 2005 17:00

Cable channel ¡Sorpresa! targeted at Hispanic teens in the USA is to launch interactive SMS games from Yarosa Entertainment in the programming

¡Sorpresa! is a dedicated Spanish-language children's channel that sources its programming from Spanish-speaking countries including Mexico, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Chile and Spain and broadcasts them on TV channels across the USA.

While watching ¡Sorpresa! programming, interactive applications will appear on the bottom of the TV screens, for viewers to interact with a range of games with SMS.

¡Sorpresa! and Yarosa plan to roll out more mobile applications.

Commenting on the launch, Yarosa CEO Jan van Ottele explains: “We’re very happy to extend our services to the United States. Though SMS is not as popular as in many other parts of the world, the co-operation with ¡Sorpresa! is promising. "

Christopher Firestone, EVP of Operations for Firestone Communications Inc. (the owner and operator of ¡Sorpresa!) adds: “We are excited to partner with Yarosa and become the first US network to roll out their dynamic services. Implementing interactive mobile applications to complement the programming of ¡Sorpresa! is a natural extension of our brand, and an innovative sponsorship platform for our advertisers”.

Available on all mobile networks in the US, the messaging delivery will be provided by Index subsidiary Gateway Mobliss .