LOS ANGELES-CBS is finally wading into wireless, inking a deal to bring TV shows to Verizon Wireless subscribers.
Verizon Wireless’ Vcast users can access clips from the station’s hit “CSI” shows as well as “The Amazing Race,” “The King of Queens,” “Survivor” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.” The offering also includes re-purposed segments and breaking stories from CBS News and made-for-mobile content from CBS News and “Entertainment Tonight.”
Verizon Wireless said it will roll out the offerings this month. Both ABC and NBC already provide content to Vcast users.
“At the intersection of the mobile phone and the television lies tremendous programming, promotion and brand extension potential,” said Cyriac Roeding, vice president of wireless for CBS Digital Media. “This deal with Verizon Wireless represents a major step for us into mobile entertainment and another point of contact with the consumer to promote our great content brands.”
Meanwhile, Sprint Nextel Corp. announced plans to broadcast live video from a Dec. 17 Bon Jovi concert in Washington. Subscribers of both Sprint TV and MobiTV can access the entire show on their handsets free, outside of normal Sprint Vision data charges.
“This unprecedented broadcast by Sprint demonstrates that our vision of a `third screen’ is a reality, and Bon Jovi fans will be among the first to realize what this will mean for the future of entertainment,” said Laurie Thompson, director of entertainment marketing for Sprint Nextel.
The announcements offer further evidence of the melding of the media and wireless industries as well as increased interest in first-run programming from carriers.
