MTV Networks Partners with mywaves to Launch its First-Ever Free, Ad-Supported Video on Mobile
Strategic partnership to bring mobile video content from VH1, Spike,
GameTrailers and additional MTVN brands to the fast-growing mywaves
audience
NEW YORK and SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 31 -- MTV Networks
(MTVN), a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), and mywaves, the largest
mobile video destination, today announced a partnership to deliver MTVN's
first-ever free, ad-supported video entertainment on mobile phones. Through
the agreement, select video clips from VH1, Spike, GameTrailers and
additional MTVN brands will be available to mywaves users on the
m.mywaves.com mobile website. mywaves and MTVN will collaborate to serve
video ads on the mywaves platform, further extending MTVN's advertising
sales capabilities in mobile media.
"We're the leading provider of mobile video in the world, and as we
look to extend our reach and open up our vast video content libraries even
further on handsets, it's crucial that we embrace the ad-supported model,"
said Alice Kim, Senior Vice President, Digital Distribution and Partner
Relations, MTVN. "With mywaves, we're giving our fans the ability to freely
interact with our content in a unique, ad-supported environment, while
driving viewership back to our core TV channels, Web and mobile
properties."
"MTV Networks sets the creative standard for the most popular
entertainment with our young mobile audience," said Rajeev Raman, CEO and
founder, mywaves. "Combined with our reach, the MTVN mobile programming now
available on mywaves, offers fantastic value to consumers and advertisers.
Our viewers want to enjoy MTVN entertainment anytime, anywhere and this
partnership enables us to reach millions of engaged mobile consumers and
lead the industry in developing new advertising based business models."
MTVN will provide frequently updated video clips, allowing mywaves
users instant, on-the-go access to the freshest and most up-to-date
entertainment. Beginning today, users can access VH1's "On This Day in
Music" rock trivia clip. In the next several weeks, mywaves users will gain
access to Spike's "30 Seconds of a Hot Chick," and GameTrailers video
reviews and trailers. Video content from additional MTVN brands will be
made available on mywaves later this year.
The new agreement strengthens MTVN's position as the world's largest
provider of diverse programming on-air, online and on mobile spanning
nearly every demographic from kids and teens, to young adults, men, boomer
and LGBT audiences. MTVN is the leading provider of video on mobile, with
more than 80 distribution deals and 40 on-demand and streaming mobile video
services worldwide.
About mywaves Inc.
mywaves is the largest mobile video destination for consumers,
attracting over 5 million unique visitors monthly to its free mobile video
service. Consumers can browse through nearly 400,000 channels of premium
videos and have their favorites automatically updated and delivered to
their phones. Most users tune in to watch mywaves video weekly with average
viewing times of 24 minutes per session. The service works globally across
all 3G, EDGE, BREW and EV-DO carriers as well as most video-capable mobile
phones, including Palm, Windows Mobile, Symbian and RIM based phones.
Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., mywaves is led by a team from Yahoo!,
Napster, Danger, Palm and TiVo. The company is funded by venture capital
firm, Menlo Ventures. For more information or to sign up for mywaves, go to
http://www.mywaves.com or from a mobile browser: http://www.mywaves.com/m.
About MTV Networks
MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the
world's leading creators of programming and content across all media
platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 150 channels worldwide, owns and
operates the following television programming services -- MTV: MUSIC
TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV
LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, LOGO, NOGGIN, THE N, VH1 CLASSIC, MTVN INTERNATIONAL
and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services,
all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects
with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its
more than 300 interactive properties worldwide, including online,
broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has
licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of
its programming services can be seen worldwide.
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