Friday, November 11, 2005
MTV Networks International and Jamster! to Jointly Invest in Mobile Entertainment Research Internationally
Jamster! and Jamba!, the premier providers of mobile content and wholly-owned subsidiaries of VeriSign, Inc. , and MTV Networks International, owned by Viacom Inc., today announced the launch of a new international research initiative into the mobile entertainment and the digital content marketplace.
The joint study to be launched in the coming weeks will seek to understand usage, mechanics, and frequency of downloading and streaming to mobile phones. The initiative will also provide analysis of the burgeoning reliance that consumers place on access to mobile devices, and the impact of wireless on content creation and communication.
"This new study in collaboration with our mobile content partner, Jamster! and Jamba!, will enable us to understand how the role of mobile content is evolving around the world and how we can develop compelling, new entertainment that is even more relevant to consumers," said Graham Saxton, Senior Vice President, Research and Planning, MTV Networks International.
"Jamster! and Jamba! and MTV Networks International are driving the expansion of the mobile entertainment market," said Vernon Irvin, Executive Vice President and General Manager, VeriSign Communications Services. "This study will be an invaluable tool to understand the market of today and anticipate the trends of tomorrow."
MTV initiates more local, pan-regional and global youth research than any other media company worldwide. Studies in the past have included: Sources of Cool, a global initiative that identified trend developments among youth; Collections of Cool, a pan-European research report addressing key youth behaviors; MTV Generations, a nine-country European study defining the key mindsets of Generation X and Generation Y; and Switched On, an on-going youth trends monitor.
Mobile content continues to be an increasingly important part of the music industry. Like music videos, entertainers are beginning to utilize ringtones, fun sounds and wallpapers as powerful promotional tools for their new music releases. MTV and Jamster are key global partners for on demand services for digital content consumers, and collaborate on Jamster!'s ringtone chart shows, which have become a respected source for measuring the reach of an artist's mobile content appeal for MTV's audience. Last year alone, more than 8 billion dollars were spent in mobile content services market.
