Airtel & Disney join hands in India to deliver mobile entertainment experience

Airtel, India’s leading mobile service, today joined hands with the world’s largest family entertainment brand–Disney, to launch India’s first "Disney Mobile Theatre". With this launch, Airtel will provide Disney branded mobile entertainment content on such a large scale in India for the first time. Disney Mobile Theatre was launched today by cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar who downloaded the first clip amidst a group of excited kids.

Airtel’s Disney Mobile Theatre adds an exciting new dimension to mobile entertainment. Airtel customers can now have access to six Disney animated series in the form of 30-second shorts exclusively made for mobile devices featuring Disney characters. In addition, Airtel customers will have access to Disney characters in the form they want - images, animations, videos, ring-tones & games. This content can be downloaded from Airtel’s multi-access entertainment portal, Airtel Live! and music and sounds as ring back tones can also be downloaded from Airtel’s Hello Tunes. Through Airtel, Indian customers will be among the first few to enjoy the antics of Mickey, Minne, Donald, Pluto and Goofy on the Disney Mobile Theatre.

Mr. Hemant Sachdev, Director-Marketing & Communications, Bharti Airtel, said, “We have always admired the Disney brand for the difference it makes to lives across the globe – bringing millions of people fun, laughter and wholesome entertainment. We are now pleased to partner with Disney to deliver outstanding creative content and entertainment. With Disney Mobile Theatre, Airtel customers can enjoy the Disney experience on the mobile for the first time in India from wherever they are”.

Mr. Mark Handler, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, International, Walt Disney Internet Group, said, “The launch of Disney branded mobile content on Airtel, including Disney Mobile Theatre and personalization, content and games, combines Disney's rich story telling legacy and unparalleled brand equity with Airtel’s leadership in wireless voice and data services to create an engaging and unique mobile experience for Indian customers.”

Mr. Rajat Jain, Managing Director, The Walt Disney Company, India said, “India is a priority for the entire Company, and we are delivering on our strategy to expand our presence here. We have a huge competitive advantage, thanks to the strength of the Disney brand, which is aspirational and first-in-class around the world. We embrace new technology innovations in developing quality Disney entertainment and as leading content creators are best positioned to capture new ways of delivering it when and where the consumer demands.”

The Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) provides centralized strategic leadership, back-end business support and a global, proven technology platform for all broadband and wireless properties stemming from The Walt Disney Company. The launch of Disney mobile content on Airtel marks WDIG’s first mobile carrier distribution deal in India. WDIG has mobile content distribution in 12 other markets in the Asia Pacific region, including: Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, China, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Macau. In this region, more than 695 million mobile consumers, (nearly 100 percent) have access to Disney Mobile content.

“An outstanding story has the ability to transcend space and time. All of Disney’s businesses utilize technology to create and distribute compelling entertainment throughout Asia. Using technology to advance our content and its distribution will play a fundamental role in securing our future,” added Mr. Jain.

Disney to test new interactive ads on abc.com

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co. (DIS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) will try a new type of advertising when it begins showing prime-time ABC television shows on the Web, using a single, interactive ad during each break rather than the flurry of short spots that are the norm on network TV.
Ten major advertisers have delivered new interactive online commercials as part of Disney's two-month test of whether consumers will watch ads if they can download hit TV shows on abc.com for free.
The test, which starts May 1, offers streaming video of "Desperate Housewives," "Alias," "Commander in Chief" and "Lost" about 12 hours after each episode airs on the East Coast.
The company charged advertisers only for the cost of setting up the online player and may actually lose money if the site becomes wildly popular, Alan Ives, vice president of interactive sales for ABC, said on Tuesday.
Disney asked major ad agencies to recommend advertisers who "are willing to push the envelope" for the test, Ives said.
The company had no problem finding advertisers once news of the trial hit the press, he said. The companies, including AT&T Inc (T.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Cingular, Toyota Motor Corp.(7203.T: Quote, Profile, Research), Ford Motor Co. (F.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Procter & Gamble Co. (PG.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Unilever Plc (ULVR.L: Quote, Profile, Research), General Electric Co's (GE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Universal Pictures and Walt Disney Pictures, turned in their ads about two weeks ago.
"It's a new and different ad model," Ives said. "We got some pretty creative stuff. If you had unlimited time and interactivity to get your message across, what would you do?"
Each online episode will kick off with a 10-second sponsorship message from a single advertiser and will feature one commercial from that sponsor per commercial break, Ives said.
Commercials from each advertiser will cycle through an episode every time it is viewed online, meaning that different commercials could appear each time the show was watched online.
Only three of the five commercial breaks built into episodes for broadcast television will be used in the online model, Ives said.
Viewers will have to watch or click through ads to get to the next segment of the program. The commercials were designed to last at least 30 seconds, but some feature interactive games, coupon offers or product information that may engage viewers longer.
There is the option of clicking out of the advertisements and returning to the program after 30 seconds, he said.
By the time ABC presents its new fall schedule on May 16 in New York, Disney will have two weeks' worth of data showing how consumers are responding to the online ads.
Disney plans to review partial results of the trial at that presentation, a company official said.
Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney said this week that the network plans to launch an enhanced version of its the program later this year.
Sweeney said the company would work with network affiliates, who were angered by the company's decision to offer premium content online, to build an online business model.
Disney officials said they do not expect abc.com to replace TV advertising or even to provide a meaningful revenue stream in the near future.
Sweeney said the online program will offer the network information about online technology and how consumers use it.
ABC already sells digital downloads of its highest-rated shows for the popular iPod music and video player.

http://today.reuters.com/business/newsArticle.aspx?type=ousiv&storyID=2006-04-26T173238Z_01_N26128524_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESSPRO-MEDIA-DISNEY-WEBADS-DC.XML

JibJab Launches JokeBox Social Network

The creators of JibJab have launched a comedy social network - JokeBox, which has been in private beta for three months, writes MediaPost (via MarketingVOX). Some 40,000 members have already registered and posted more than 25,000 written jokes, photos, audio and video files - and provided personal information and content preferences. Bud Light is sponsoring the site with streaming banners, and JibJab-created shorts on JokeBox feature pre-roll advertising from Benadryl and the Suburban Auto Group Ford/Chevy car dealership, among others.
With a web presence since 1999 and established credentials in satirical animated shorts such as "This Land" - as well as 645,000 names in its opt-in email list - JibJab is poised to make its mark in the content-sharing realm occupied by YouTube and its ilk.
To keep out troublemakers, the Spiridellis brothers have rallied a volunteer squad - "The A-Hole Patrol" - to screen jokes submitted to JokeBox, including those flagged as "offensive" by other members.

Microsoft spins off social-network startup

Wallop project has been touted for years, but never released to public

SEATTLE - More than two years after Microsoft Corp. began promoting Wallop, its technology for social networking, the software company is spinning off the project to a new startup company.
Redmond-based Microsoft touted Wallop at a high-profile corporate event in late 2003. But the company has been secretive about the project since then, even as startups like Friendster and MySpace have gained major traction among users. (MSNBC.com is a Microsoft - NBC joint venture.)
On Wednesday, Microsoft said it is spinning off the technology to a separate startup, Wallop Inc., to be based in the Silicon Valley. A product, however, won't launch until later this year.
Microsoft remains mum on details, only promising that it will give people more sophisticated ways for helping people find one another and will let people interact more like they would in the real world. Current social networking services tend to link people online based on things like a similar taste in music or common acquaintances.
The technology was developed by Microsoft's research and development arm. The software maker plans to license and sell the Wallop technology in exchange for an equity stake in the Wallop company. It would not disclose more financial details of the transaction.


http://research.microsoft.com/scg/

Yahoo Releases DVR Software for PC

Just a week after acquiring the technology assets of television software company Meedio, Yahoo has rolled out a new DVR solution called "Go for TV." The software turns a Windows XP PC with TV tuner card into a digital video recorder, and connects the viewer with Yahoo services such as photos and music.

Yahoo! Go for TV is the latest component of Yahoo's Go platform, which is intended to bring the company's content from the PC to other devices such as mobile phones and televisions. Google and Microsoft have undertaken similar efforts as the PC continues its transition to a full-fledged entertainment device.

With the software, Flickr photos could be viewed on TVs, and users could even play games or listen to music via Yahoo's entertainment sites while sitting on the couch. DVD playback is supported, along with TV show recording capabilities much like those offered by SnapStream and Windows Media Center.

Jupiter Research vice president Michael Gartenberg questioned Yahoo's recent initiative, however, noting that Microsoft is much father along and offers a better out of box experience.
"What I don't understand is why Yahoo is spending the time and effort to do this," Gartenberg commented. "There's no reason that Yahoo can't offer the unique services it brings to the table, like Yahoo Photos or Music via the MCE interface. This is one of those things where it just doesn't make sense to re-invent the wheel."

Yahoo! Go for TV is currently in beta and only available to users in the United States.

http://go.connect.yahoo.com/go/tv/index
http://www.betanews.com/article/Yahoo_Releases_DVR_Software_for_PC/1146088585

Nokia N73, N93:3 Megapixel Cameras Phones Announced

BERLIN (Reuters) - The world's largest handset maker Nokia unveiled a new video camera phone with optical zoom on Tuesday and also launched two other new multimedia phone models.
The N93 video camera model and the new N73 camera phone, which has a 3 megapixel Carl Zeiss lens, are both expected to hit the shelves in July, while the new N72 music phone is expected to be available in June.
Nokia also said it has agreed on cooperation with Yahoo's popular photo-sharing site Flickr.

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=internetNews&storyID=2006-04-25T084016Z_01_WLA9462_RTRIDST_0_OUKIN-UK-NOKIA-PHONES.XML

Skype to Sell $1.50 Ringtones

Skype joined the burgeoning ringtone business Tuesday, announcing a deals with record labels EMI, Sony and Warner Music to sell song clips to customers for $1.50 each. The Internet telephone company owned by eBay will begin offering Madonna ringtones on Wednesday, with more artists slated to follow.
The ringtone business continues to flourish, raking in over $4.4 billion in 2005 alone. Skype hopes it can capitalize on the market by selling the clips to its more than 100 million users. However, unlike on their cell phones, Skype users can already import audio clips directly from their hard drives.

http://www.betanews.com/article/Skype_to_Sell_150_Ringtones/1146070709