MTV Networks International & T-Mobile Announce Breakthrough Multi-Brand, Multi-Market Offering in Europe for MTV, Nickelodeon & Paramount Comedy on Mobile TV
CeBIT - Hannover, Germany/London UK, 7 March, 2006 – MTV Networks International [MTVNI], owned by Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) and T-Mobile, today announced a groundbreaking partnership to deliver MTVNI’s diverse portfolio of leading entertainment brands to mobile TV subscribers across multiple European markets. The deal, which sees MTVNI’s premier content being made available for the first time to T-Mobile subscribers for mobile TV in Germany and Austria and later in the UK, is a significant step forward in building the company’s European digital media offering.
Available now, T-Mobile subscribers in Germany and Austria can access the best and most exciting MTVNI content on mobile TV, including MTV Music and MTV Shorts. Popular Nickelodeon animations including SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer are available now in Germany and from September in Austria. MTV Music is a back-to-back simulcast of a music video hits TV channel showing the best of all genres such as Coldplay, Gwen Stefani and 50 Cent. MTV Shorts is a mobile TV channel of popular hit shows optimised for mobile, such as Punk’d and Dirty Sanchez, along with made-for-mobile programming such as Head & Body – an eight-mobisode comedy adventure.
In addition to these three channels, UK subscribers will soon be able to experience classic comedy stand up routines and clips from hit shows such as Becker on Paramount Comedy starting this summer. In the UK, MTV Shorts & MTV Music are known as MTV Snax & Trax, respectively.
Gideon Bierer, Senior Vice President, Digital Media, MTVNI commented: “This multi-market multi-brand strategic partnership gives T-Mobile subscribers access to the most diverse portfolio of entertainment brands available today on mobile TV. MTV Networks is uniquely positioned to help operators drive their mobile TV businesses by providing consumers with access to our world class brands on-the-go, including clips from hit shows such as Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants and MTV’s Pimp My Ride.”
“T-Mobile is committed to making mobile TV a successful and fulfilling service for our customers and we are very pleased to now offer the exciting content from MTV Networks International. The MTV brand is one of the best known in Europe and fits well with our strategy for providing mobile TV content that our customers know and will enjoy. T-Mobile is especially proud to be the mobile operator for MTVNI’s first multi-market and multi-brand mobile TV partnership in Europe,” said Ingo Schneider, Vice President Mobile Data, T-Mobile International.
T-Mobile customers in Germany, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia can already enjoy the benefits of mobile TV on a range of about 10 3G devices in each market. The mobile TV service enables customers to access six TV genres including news, sport, music, comedy, youth and entertainment around the clock so they never miss their favourite TV series or the latest news when they are on the move. T-Mobile offers a superior user experience with simple and affordable pricing, which provides customers with a range of options including a monthly subscription or integration into special tariff packages. The mobile TV service is currently being offered for free trial until March 31st in Germany and Austria.
In addition to mobile video-on-demand, MTVNI currently offers 12 channels on mobile TV across Europe in 10 countries from its portfolio of brands including MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Comedy and Game One. MTVNI’s expert digital production team, who ensures that the company’s high quality content offers users the ultimate viewing experience on handsets, programmes the new mobile TV channels. In the US, IFILM is available to mobile TV subscribers, and the company recently announced the availability of IFILM on mobile TV to operators across Europe last month at 3GSM in Barcelona.
MTV Networks has partnerships with 63 mobile operators globally, using its distinctive editorial voice to deliver a broad range of digital content, applications and services, including short video clips, games, ring tones, voice products on mobile, text alerts and interactive applications. The company optimises its popular TV shows across its leading brands for digital platforms, creates new experiences based on its hit properties and develops original content for kid, youth and adult audiences. The company also enables audiences to become part of the creative process, facilitating the creation and distribution of user-generated content.
About MTV Networks International
MTV Networks International includes the premiere multimedia entertainment brands MTV: Music Television, VH1, Nickelodeon, TMF (The Music Factory), VIVA, FLUX, IFILM, The Box, Paramount Comedy and Game One seen in 443 million households in 169 countries and 28 languages via 121 locally programmed and operated TV channels and 96 Web sites. The company’s diverse holdings also include interests in television syndication, digital media, publishing, home entertainment, radio, recorded music, licensing & merchandising and two feature film divisions, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. MTV Networks is a unit of Viacom International Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).
About T-Mobile International
T-Mobile International is one of the world’s leading companies in mobile communications. As one of Deutsche Telekom`s three strategic business units, T-Mobile concentrates on the most dynamic markets in Europe and the United States.
By YE 2005, nearly 87 million customers were served by companies of the Deutsche Telekom group over a common technology platform based on GSM, the world’s most successful digital wireless standard. This also makes T-Mobile the only mobile communications provider with a seamless transatlantic service.
T-Mobile is also a partner of FreeMove, an alliance formed by four of Europe’s leading mobile companies - Orange, Telefónica Móviles, TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile) and T-Mobile – to help their customers communicate as easily while travelling abroad as they do at home.
For more information about T-Mobile International, please visit www.t-mobile.net
Media Contacts:
For MTV Networks International:
Craig O’Boyle
Firefly
+44 (0) 7974 399 578
craig.oboyle@fireflycomms.com
For T-Mobile International:
Michelle Kramer
+44 (0) 7980 983 232
michelle.kramer@t-mobile.net