UK TV Broadcaster Increases Mobile Offering

Volantis has announced that the UK television broadcaster, Channel 4 has engaged in a new licensing agreement to merchandize a variety of rich media content for the broadcaster's mobile services offering. Channel 4's mobile service went live in May 2005, with a mobile portal developed and hosted as a managed service by Volantis.

In 2006 mobile has become a key part of Channel 4's overall new media strategy and as a consequence Channel 4 has migrated to a licensing agreement that will support the development of new, unique material for mobile devices. The new agreement will also broaden Channel 4's presence with carriers by delivering an enhanced portal offering.

According to Riccardo Donato, Head of Telephony - Business Development at Channel 4 New Media, "Upgrading to a license gives us more control over the development of content and the flexibility to change the service and experiment with new features. We are now able to dynamically deliver the best editorial content and better represent the whole range of Channel 4's output."

Channel 4 launched its mobile portal in May 2005 to coincide with the start of Big Brother 6. At launch, viewers who used text messages to try and evict contestants received an SMS reply from Channel 4 with a link to the mobile portal where they could download exclusive video and pictures of the housemates.

The Channel 4 mobile portal now features Channel 4 News, a daily Hollyoaks catch-up service and clips from Desperate Housewives and Lost. It also encompasses quizzes, voting, competitions and music downloads. The service is currently a pay-per-download model although Channel 4 has also recently experimented with advertising."

Posted to the site on 6th September 2006