QuickPlay adds videos to Alltel’s Celltop

Alltel Corp. announced that it will be using QuickPlay Media Inc.’s OpenVideo platform to provide new streaming video channels on the No. 5 carrier’s Celltop information-on-demand service.
Through the partnership, Alltel will offer new video “cells” including the latest entertainment, horoscopes, extreme sports and wellness content from NBC, MTV, E!, Gaiam and other sources.
“One of the neat things about Celltop is it allows for the creation of multiple video services,” said Mark Hyland, VP of marketing at QuickPlay Media. “You can get into all kinds of niche content.”
The new cells added to the platform bring Alltel’s total service lineup to 22 unique channels of content from a variety of programmers and aggregators.
Celltop, offered free to Alltel subscribers except for data charges while roaming, consists of a series of “cells” laid out in two vertical columns per screen, with a maximum of 10 cells. The user launches the UI with one click, then navigates with a series of side-to-side clicks to avoid excessive vertical scrolling. The technology runs on Qualcomm Inc.’s BREW uiOne platform and was developed in partnership with frog design; the content provider is Motricity.
“One of the things we’re about is lowering the barrier to entry for mobile video,” Hyland added.
“We’ve just added video content in a way that I think’s pretty intuitive,” he said. “Because the cells themselves are mini pockets of content . it’s really, really easy to navigate to that particular cell and dive into that content.”
QuickPlay Media focuses on making the content work on the four cells Alltel is launching through the partnership. The programming that makes its way to the cells is a result of collaborative dealings between the two companies and existing relationships each already had with content providers.
“These cells give it a chance to find an audience in a neat way,” Hyland said.
QuickPlay already has similar deals in place with Telus Mobility and Rogers Wireless in Canada.