Fans of the U.S. Olympic Team can stay abreast of the athletes in Athens via their wireless handsets through several new agreements between carriers, content providers and news services. From the Opening Ceremonies Friday night through the Closing Ceremonies Aug. 29, mobile users will have access to an unprecedented supply of Olympic news and entertainment content.
Italian content provider Acotel Group has partnered with the Associated Press to offer breaking news, previews, images and audio clips from the Athens Games. The service, which is available to subscribers of all major U.S. carriers, is offered at three different levels-gold, silver and bronze, naturally-which range from $16 for the entire course of the Games to 30 cents per message. Acotel is also offering Olympic-themed content such as wallpaper, sports games and national anthem ring tones with the service.
Handmark Pocket Express wireless service and Reuters News will provide on-demand news with as many as 100 stories a day to subscribers with Palm OS devices, Windows Mobile smart phones and other personal digital assistants with Wi-Fi and Internet connections. The Olympic content is included in the Express service, which is $7 per month and will feature daily alerts detailing the next day’s events, current scores and standings.
AT&T Wireless Services subscribers can set up custom alerts and build a “fantasy”-style Olympic team of competing nations as part of a partnership with applications and content provider Crisp Wireless. The service will allow AT&T’s mMode users to access news, schedules, results and medal counts, as well as an exclusive diary from swimmer Michael Phelps. And users can watch video highlights, athlete interviews and Olympic trials clips via AT&T’s new EDGE and UMTS networks.
