Mobiya at the world finals
Mobiya launched its mobile classified advertising service at the 2006 tennis world finals to a global audience in over 200 countries. Telemak, Europe’s leading digital media company, captured the excitement on and off court and squeezed two days of top quality sport and entertainment into 43 seconds of video…
Mobiya and Telemak enter into mobile video market
Mobiya announces today its strategic alliance with Telemak to jointly develop a European platform for user generated content aimed at the mobile video user. The platform will be made available to mobile operators, broadcasters, publishers and portal giants.
Telemak is Europe’s leading mobile TV, digital media and streaming facilities company, founded by Christophe Lenaerts in 1994. The combination of Mobiya’s mobile interactive applications with Telemak’s video capturing, formatting and service capability is the the industry’s first alliance to tackle the explosion of mobile video within Europe.
Also today, mobile media publisher and distributor Player X announced a second round of funding, generating $10 million. The round was led by new investors Nordic Venture Partners and Long Acre Partners as well as original investor Arts Alliance. The funds will be deployed to accelerate its global mobile TV, video and gaming initiatives, with the news following on the heels of the December 2006 launch of its mobile television channel geekTV, available via UK operator 3.
Mobango secures $2M financing round
Mobango (London, UK) is a typical ‘mobile content formating’ company that allows cell phone users to publish, convert, and share with friends all kinds of user generated content -via the web and mobile devices- for personalizing and empowering the new cell phone’s generation. Mobango
More VC deals in the mobile space: click here
Steve Jobs reinvents the phone, and SMS is key!
Ever seen the future? No, go and watch the keynote of Steve Jobs at Apple.com. Without doubt, the iPhone is the next big thing. Apple’s stock got a serious boost, the complete mobile world is in shock. Why is Apple only able to innovate the mobile?
But more importantly, also for Mobiya, the iPhone is going to set a new standard for the coming 5 years within the mobile industry. The iPhone, as Steve Jobs puts it: "Photo’s, SMS and a phone app… that’s is part of our phone package for iPhone." Read again: SMS, SMS, SMS… just add a photo to it.
What is also very interesting is that Apple has re-invented the SMS application as a conversation or dialog listing on the device (see image below). That is exactly the same thinking we’ve done for Mobiya’s user experience, a conversation between a mobile phone user texting into our application and receiving responses within a dialog format to complete the classified posting. All in real time!
Isn’t that amazing!
Another CES missive: Visa charges into mobile payments
Credit card giant Visa launched a mobile payment platform promising solutions for contactless mobile payment, over-the-air personalization, coupons and direct marketing. Subsequent versions of the platform will introduce remote payment and person-to-person payment options. "Visa has long realized the importance of the mobile channel to the future of payments and as a medium to deliver consumer services," Visa International senior VP Patrick Gauthier said in a prepared statement. "The launch of the mobile platform is a significant industry milestone because it will enable innovative trials and go-to-market strategies for mobile payment services globally." (source – announcement).
2007 CES, Las Vegas: Yahoo goes for Mobile dominance
Yahoo and Mobile were today the two main topics at the 40th Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Yahoo search goes mobile, Yahoo mail goes mobile, Yahoo makes distribution agreement via dozens of OEM deals… Yahoo, Go for Mobile!
In fact, mobile media is a front that Yahoo execs believe the company can distance itself from competitors. "Yahoo intends to be the number one mobile Internet player globally," said Marco Boerries, Yahoo’s senior vp of connected life. "Today we are changing the game by putting the full power of the open Internet into consumers’ pockets.”
- Netimperative: Yahoo expands mobile search (article)
- Mediaweek: Yahoo unveils a flurry of mobile 2.0 distribution deals (article)
- Interview Marco Boerries, SVP-Connected Life, Yahoo (article)
The Netherlands: free daily newspapers growing business
The growing success in Europe of free daily newspapers is also visible in the Netherlands. Two popular freesheets, Metro and Sp!ts, have been growing their distribution volumes with respectively 15,3% and 11,1% (’05 – ’06), while the paid circulation of traditional newspapers remains unstable. Three newspapers were able to grow their paid subscriptions. Their secret sauce: launching new and targeted newspapers towards a younger audience and using their newspaper brands to reach audiences over a multimedia environment. Source: De Standaard.
Mobiya is able to support the business model of free daily newspapers for two reasons. First it connects the ‘offline’ free daily newspaper into an online environment for classified listings over a premium SMS short code (cross-media interaction). Secondly, Mobiya provides a lucrative revenue engine for freesheets based on our SMS payout schemes (euros or pound sterling). This makes the free daily less dependent on display advertising income.
Mobile advertising startup Amobee closes second round of $20m
Israeli mobile advertising company Amobee has closed its second round of funding. Accel Partners and Sequoia Capital (who invested $5 million in the first round) both participated and were joined by Globespan Capital Partners. The amount of funding for the second round wasn’t disclosed, but Globes cites sources as saying that it was between $15-20 million, which would make it a huge round. Source.
The company has built a mobile ad-serving solution and serves to WAP, Video & Music, SMS, MMS, and games. The company has been conducting trials with operators.
Internet sector 2007: Continental Europe will be key
Welcome back. Also in 2007 we will track stories, news, analysis, research and opinions in different sectors that are relevant to Mobiya. These sectors include the global classifieds advertising industry, online and print media strategies and movements, internet and web 2.0 investment opportunities.
SeekingAlpha puts a positive note on the Internet and media sector in 2007, Europe in specific : "We believe continental Europe will provide strong growth for Internet and Media companies. We estimate current online ad penetration rates in Germany, France, Italy and Spain are ~2%, compared to the US and the UK at ~7%. We believe increased penetration will benefit companies like Google and Monster, which are well positioned in Europe."