Bango “browse and buy” technology powers MTV WAP portal
MTV interacts with consumers through media rich
WAP portal
5th September, 2006 – MTV Networks UK & Ireland, owned by Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) the world’s leading online music entertainment company, announces a partnership with Bango in which they will provide browse and buy technology to power MTV’s newly launched WAP site. The portal is designed to enhance mobile phone users experience of the MTV brand – through music and entertainment videos, news, competitions and downloads, across the UK and Ireland.
MTV’s WAP site will engage directly with its viewers in order to promote and sell digital content to users across all the mobile networks. Built by Entriq, MTV WAP features Bango’s browse and buy technology allowing users to pay for and download content in two easy steps. Bango technology will lead to a streamlined user experience which in turn will generate a long-term relationship for consumers across the board.
“It’s very exciting to be able to deliver the MTV brand onto the mobile phones of our viewers,” said Angel Gambino, VP of Commercial, Strategy and Digital Media at MTV. “Bango has introduced the use of the mobile internet in content sales to enrich our consumers’ experience of MTV content.”
By building its service on a mobile internet model, MTV benefits from the internet’s networking effect where users not only experience a great browse and buy shopping experience but can also discover the site by browsing in from a mobile search engine or clicking on a mobile advertisement. The viral element of the internet is also important where people can pass on recommendations and push links for their favourite sites to each other.
Content providers sign up for the Bango Service by registering on-line at www.bango.com. Bango provides global WAP billing and promotional tools that allow consumers to easily pay for off-portal content without leaving their mobile browser session. In addition to operator billing, consumers can pay using Premium SMS, credit/debit card and PayPal – so content providers can sell directly to consumers on any phone network world-wide.
Businesses of all sizes are seizing the opportunity to engage directly with their consumers on the mobile internet. These include global brands such as News Corporation, Manchester United Football Club, Discovery Mobile, together with smaller, niche content providers.
About Bango
Bango has developed and deployed a unique open, global infrastructure platform that enables content providers to market, sell and deliver their products and services directly to mobile phone users on all mobile networks using the mobile Internet. This “direct-to-consumer” approach operates alongside the operator’s mobile content portals. Leading mobile operators including Cingular Wireless, Vodafone, Orange, Telefonica and O2 work with Bango to accelerate the growth of their “direct-to-consumer” business.
The Bango platform has given phone subscribers around the world greater access to third-party content. User in more than 130 countries and over 250 operators pay for mobile content using Bango. Bango, based in New York and Cambridge (UK), is quoted on the London Stock Exchange (AIM: BGO). For further information, go to www.bango.com.
About MTV Networks UK & Ireland:
MTV Networks is the largest television network in the world and a leading creator of programming and content across all media platforms, with 111 channels and 94 websites reaching more than 440 million households in 167 countries worldwide.
MTV Networks UK & Ireland operates 3 channel groups – Comedy, Kids and Music.
Our 9 branded music channels comprise of MTV, VH1, MTV Hits, MTV Base, MTV Dance, MTV2, VH2, VH1 Classic and TMF. They feature the best in music alongside popular shows such as Pimp My Ride, Newlyweds, Punk'd, Dirty Sanchez and Cribs. MTV Network's music channels are available on Sky, Cable (through ntl & Telewest) and Freeview, reaching larger audiences than at any time in UK history, with an average of over 17 million viewers each month according to BARB research.
Paramount and Nickelodeon in the UK are part of the MTV Networks International portfolio of channels through joint ventures with BSkyB.
In addition, MTV Networks is a pioneer in the new and exciting world of digital media, winning awards for its interactive and online services, as well as being the first media company to offer made-for-mobile 3G video content. Since 2005 MTV Networks UK & Ireland has offered mobile distribution of four TV channels (MTV Snax, MTV Trax, Paramount and Nickelodeon).
MTV Networks is a unit of Viacom.
