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Tag: Hemant Sachdev

  • Disney ties up with AirTel for mobisodes

    Disney ties up with AirTel for mobisodes

    MUMBAI: After Star India, it is Walt Disney Television International (India) that is exploring the mobile-enabled episode (mobisode) phenomenon.

    The company has tied up with AirTel to develop mobisodes, games, ringtones, wallpapers and animation in the ‘Disney Mobile Theatre’ featuring popular cartoons. This is the third telecom operator Walt Disney will have tied up with, the other two being in Asia.

    “It is a sunrise segment for Walt Disney. But it is rapidly growing, particularly in the East Asian markets like Japan,” The Walt Disney Company India managing director Rajat Jain said.

    AirTel will, thus, become the first provider of Disney Mobile Theatre in India providing characters like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto on the mobile.

    The wallpapers will be priced at Rs 10 per download, whereas the mobisodes, videos, ringtones and Hello Tunes have been priced at Rs 15. A Disney game can be downloaded for a charge of Rs 99. However, company officials were reluctant to divulge the revenue sharing ratio between the two for the same.

    AirTel customers can have access to six Disney animated series in the form of 30 second episodes exclusively made for mobile devices. The content can be downloaded from Airtel’s entertainment portal – Airtel Live! and music and ringtones can also be downloaded from Airtel’s Hello Tunes.

    “With voice pricing coming down, we expect this to be a significant revenue stream for us. Across the globe, telecom operators generate 12-20 per cent revenues from non voice segment,” Bharti Airtel director marketing and communications Hemant Sachdev said.

    “We have always admired the Disney brand for the difference it makes to lives across the globe – bringing millions of people fun, laughter and wholesome entertainment. We are now pleased to partner with Disney to deliver outstanding creative content and entertainment. With Disney Mobile Theatre, Airtel customers can enjoy the Disney experience on the mobile for the first time in India from wherever they are,” he added.

    Walt Disney Internet Group executive vice president and managing director international Mark Handler said, “The launch of Disney branded mobile content on Airtel, including Disney Mobile Theatre and personalisation, content and games, combines Disney’s rich story telling legacy and unparalleled brand equity with Airtel’s leadership in wireless voice and data services to create an engaging and unique mobile experience for customers.”

    Added Jain: “India is a priority for the entire company, and we are delivering on our strength to expand our presence here. We have a huge competitive advantage, thanks to the strength of the Disney brand, which is aspirational. We embrace new technology innovations in developing quality Disney entertainment and as leading content creators are best positioned to capture new ways of delivering it when and where the consumer demands. Using technology to advance our content and its distribution will play a fundamental role in securing our future.”

    The Walt Disney Internet Group has mobile content distribution in 12 other markets in the Asia Pacific region including Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, China, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Macau. Close to 695 million mobile consumers have access to Disney mobile content in this region.

    Late last year, Star India had tied up with Hutch to create mobisodes of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge (TGILC), which aired on Star One. The price of a one time download of a mobisode of TGILC is Rs 10 per. Additionally, subscribers can also call 7827 (Star India’s short code) to listen to the TGILC jokes for Rs 6.

    Soon after, Zee Telefilms director and business head of Zee TV channel Punit Goenka had told Indiantelevision.com that the company was seriously exploring the phenomenon of mobisodes and were in the process of identifying the properties which were best suited for it.

    Now with Disney also tapping the rapidly growing mobile content and entertainment space, it won’t be long before the others too follow suit.

  • UK’s ICE 365 partners Airtel to launch ‘Spot the ball’ contest

    UK’s ICE 365 partners Airtel to launch ‘Spot the ball’ contest

    MUMBAI: ICE 365, the UK-based mobile interactive community service provider, today in association with Airtel announced the launch of an exciting new cricket contest ‘Spot the Ball’. The contest will provide Airtel cricket enthusiastic subscribers, a perfect opportunity to test their skill and mettle as they try to ‘Spot the Cricket Ball’ located in the grid displayed on the mobile screen.

    Spot the Ball, is a multi-platform (spot the ball) game, accessible through the Web, Mobile, SMS and IVR systems, in which a picture of cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar playing on a cricket pitch is displayed on the mobile screen of the user. The cricket ball is removed from the picture and subscribers through their skill and judgment need to spot the correct position of the ball, states an official release.

    A contest, accessible to Airtel subscribers across 23 circles, Spot the Ball is a first of its kind cricket game, wherein the mega prize winner will take home a brand new Mercedes worth Rs 30,00,000, the release adds.

    Commenting on the launch of Spot the Ball, ICE 365 Ltd. group president Paul Shoker said, “Mobile gaming is a rising star in India’s fast-growing wireless business. In fact, Indian telecom analysts have pegged mobile gaming as the next big revenue earner after short messaging. The Indian mobile-game business currently makes up about 5 per cent of the global wireless market. Market researchers expect the Indian mobile gaming market will generate annual revenue of about $336 million by 2009.”

    Shoker further said, “ICE 365 on its first advent to the booming India telecom market has partnered with leading service provider, AirTel, to bring to the cricket enthusiasts of the country, a first-of-its-kind cricket contest – ‘Spot the Ball’. Through such partnerships we hope to bring to the table much more exciting, interactive value added services, which cater to the communication and entertainment needs of Indian mobile subscribers.”

    How to play ‘Spot the Ball’

    One of the ways in which the game can be played is through WAP i.e. Mobile Internet Service on Airtel Live. The user to go to Airtel Live WAP portal from their phone, or SMS FUN to 646 from their GPRS enabled phone. Sending the SMS results in a URL pushed to them, which they must open with their GPRS enabled phone.

    The user is shown a short introduction to the competition & presented with a choice of four menu options: How to play, Start Game, Terms and Exit. After clicking “Start Game” the user is shown an image, with the ball removed from the picture, and he/she is required to guess where the ball is on the picture.

    The user enters the grid no. (e.g. C3) where he/she thinks the ball would be, and clicks on “Submit”. At this point the user can select “Submit” to submit entry or “Replay” to reposition the ball. The user selects “Submit” and the grid reference of the position they choose is submitted.

    If they are correct they are informed of their successful entry. If their entry was incorrect the user is informed how far away from the correct position their entry is. The user is charged a nominal fee of Rs.30/- for each entry they make by clicking “Submit”.Once a user has successfully made a successful entry from an image they do not have the opportunity to play that image again.

    Airtel director marketing & communications Hemant Sachdev said, “We are delighted to bring this service to our subscribers. Today, gaming downloads form a significant part of our subscribers’ mobile experience. In a nation of cricket lovers, nothing connects with the populace like cricket. The game, ‘Spot the Ball’, is involving and highly engaging and will further endorse our effort to bring the best in gaming content to our subscribers”.