Sprint PCS launched two new content services Monday, continuing its lead in the advanced content arena.
The carrier announced a radio-like service that will deliver short video clips and six channels of streaming audio to subscribers via their handsets.
Music Choice Today, which is available to the carrier’s Vision subscribers for $6 a month, includes a line-up of channels offering pop, country, R&B/hip-hop and rock. The service also features daily video offerings, such as artist interviews and performance clips, as well as a music news service.
Music Choice, a Horsham, Pa.-based digital music provider, is teaming with Sprint to deliver Music Choice Today.
“Broadcast music is a critical piece of the overall mobile-music puzzle, and in our consumer research is one of the most popular multimedia content categories,” said Clint Wheelock, director of wireless research at consultancy In-Stat MDR. “The launch of the Music Choice service is a significant milestone for Sprint as the company continues its track record of leadership in deploying a broad range of wireless multimedia services.”
The music service is a first for Sprint, which offers two mobile television options, MobiTV and its own Sprint TV. A stripped-down version of Music Choice Today is being included with Sprint TV.
Music Choice Today is initially available only on one phone, the Sprint PCS Vision Multimedia Phone MM-7400 from Sanyo. The service will be available soon on other handsets, according to the carrier.
In addition, A local news TV station in North Carolina will offer news stories, pictures, traffic information and weather forecasts through a downloadable Java application over Sprint PCS’ network.
Local TV station WRAL-TV said it teamed with sister company DTV Plus and wireless technology company Air2Web to offer the application, which costs $4 per month. The station said it works to stay at the cutting edge of media and has previously made forays into the Internet and high-definition TV.
“This new mobile-phone application gives us yet another way to serve the public,” said Jim Hefner, vice president and general manager of WRAL-TV, “and makes sense in an increasingly wireless world.”
“The fact that DTV Plus and WRAL are using Air2Web to deliver their new service represents the sheer breadth and depth of the product,” said Len Emmick, vice president of sales for Air2Web. “WRAL is on the cutting edge of bringing localized content to a wireless micro-economy, and it is indicative of the growing consumption of these types of products and services by the everyday cell-phone user.”
A variety of media companies have recently made moves into wireless, including Playboy and the Wall Street Journal. Most such offerings come in the form of Java applications-rather than through WAP Internet sites-because carriers usually share a percentage of Java download revenues with the company that supplied the content. Carriers do not share revenues from WAP traffic.
