Developed by Refresh Mobile, the leading player in push based mobile technology, the ITV Mobile Mobizine updates the consumer on a twice daily basis with the latest news, weather and entertainment features. An additional Mobizine provides a daily TV Guide within a wow! factor user experience.
There are 2 variants of the Mobizines service. A service for Symbian phones receives updates automatically and alerts the consumer that the update has arrived. This variant uses FlashLite. The Java service requires the user to request an update, but once delivered consumers can browse at their leisure and convenience as many times as they wish. Both services allow editions to be browsed when consumers are out of network coverage.
As well as keeping the ITV audience up to date with the latest shows, gossip, news and weather, it also provides an excellent platform for ITV’s advertisers. With mobile telephony ubiquitous and with the mobile’s unique intimacy with the customer, ITV and Refresh Mobile believe that the quality of the user interface and the quality of the content being delivered creates an extremely attractive promotional environment while providing the user with the very best experience.
Scott Beaumont, CEO of Refresh Mobile, said, “We are delighted to be working with ITV in delivering on its ambitious plans for its mobile audience. This offering highlights the potential and ease of use of our Content Management Tool and the Mobizines product. We are sure that this is the beginning of a very powerful experience for ITV, Refresh Mobile and, most importantly, the consumer.”
Jeff Henry, CEO of ITVC, saidn “We want our new mobile portal to be the UK’s No1 non-operator entertainment portal and Mobizines is an important part of our strategy. 20 years ago the level of TV interaction with viewers was – ‘send us an answer on a postcard’. We are now at a point in the development of both digital television and other devices which allow us to realistically capitalise upon their growth.”
Refresh Mobile was created in a MBO of a Flash-based service called News Express from T-Mobile. This announcement marks the first content publishing partner launch on Symbian (using Flash) and Java for Refresh Mobile. Refresh Mobile’s Content Management System allows publishers to deliver multiple titles and multiple updates to the consumer without the need for constant redevelopment or significant publishing resource.