Motorola To Provide Mtv Content And Music

Mobile makers look to music as the next big revenue source.

After a series of gloomy analyst reports on multimedia messaging services (MMS), mobile phone companies are looking to music as the next big revenue source.

Motorola and MTV have signed a three-year, $75m (£47m) deal that will see new Motorola handsets come preloaded with MTV content and downloadable music.

The two companies will also conduct cross-marketing campaigns to promote both brands, and are working on developing applications that will allow a 30-minute MTV programme to be viewed over a low-cost, mass-market handset (yet to be developed).

"No brand has a bond with the next generation like MTV," said Geoffrey Frost, vice president of global marketing at Motorola.

"We believe it's going to be the source of some truly new experiences: on the ground, in the air, online and on millions of pocket screens all over the world."

Not to be outdone, Nokia has launched a handset dedicated to music.

The Nokia 3300 has a built-in MP3 player and FM radio, a voice recorder and integrated loudspeakers. It also has inbuilt support for Java games and a couple of online games included.

"It's part of a trend towards youth culture," said Ben Wood, senior analyst of mobile telecoms at Gartner.

"Mobile manufacturers are in a bind in Europe because the market has reached saturation. Youth is seen as the way forward and images, sound and games are key to this strategy."

Source :: vnunet.com