Reuters offers free, off-deck mobile video

News junkies can now use their cell phones to access the latest video reports from Reuters following the company’s launch of a free, ad-supported video service. The service is available at mobile.reuters.com and works on smart phones from Nokia Corp., Palm Inc., Research In Motion Ltd. and others.
Reuters said it expects to begin selling ads on the video service starting early next year.
“We’ve seen an enormous increase in traffic to our mobile site in 2006 and have successfully sold mobile advertising to blue chip advertisers,” said Stephen Smyth, general manager of Reuters Media. “The opportunities for mobile video advertising are very exciting as consumers adopt more sophisticated phones that support video.”
Reuters already offers mobile video in Europe and Asia, but in the United States the news organization mainly offers its content on-deck with carriers Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp. and others.
“Adding video to our mobile site offers users a one-stop shop for all things Reuters on their mobile phones,” Smyth said.
Reuters’ move is notable for a number of reasons. First, it is an acknowledgement of the power of off-deck content, offerings that are not sold directly through a carrier’s wireless Web site. Second, offering ad-supported content-like most of the content available on the wired Internet-offers further evidence that content vendors will look to advertisers rather than end users for revenues in the mobile world.