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MySpace Mobile Launches Streaming Video
03 Dec, 2008LOS ANGELES—December 3, 2008—MySpace, the world’s premier social network, and RipCode, an innovator of Internet and mobile video infrastructure solutions, announced today that MySpace Mobile users across the globe will now be able to enjoy MySpace video content from their video enabled mobile devices. The first social portal to launch video streaming for mobile, MySpace’s beta mobile video initiative is committed to ensuring the best user experience by providing the highest quality video for mobile viewing. Users will now be able to view videos they’ve uploaded or have marked as a favorite. Read More ...
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googleVerizon Teams with MySpace Mobile
31 Mar, 2008
On the heels of a similar announcement from Sprint about MySpace Mobile, Verizon has launched the service on the Verizon Wireless network. My Space Mobile can be accessed through Verizon Wireless’ Mobile Web 2.0 platform. Mobile Web 2.0 is a subscription service for Verizon customers that allows access to mobile web formatted multimedia content and other interactive tools. Unlimited Mobile Web 2.0 plans are a part of Verizon’s V CAST VPak subscription, which charges $15/month. Subscribers can also access My Space Mobile and Mobile Web 2.0 content on a usage basis of $1.99 per megabyte.
Sprint and MySpace Team Up
21 Mar, 2008Sprint and MySpace have announced a deal to launch MySpace Mobile on Sprint phones. The service allows free direct access to the new MySpace Mobile website on a U.S. wireless carrier, allowing Sprint data subscribers the ability to update their MySpace profiles on their phones. In addition users of the service view and add friends, post blogs and bulletins, send and receive MySpace messages. The announcement also marks the official launch of MySpace's Mobile website, which was previously in beta.
Sprint and MySpace Get Comfy
15 Dec, 2007
MySpace and Sprint have partnered to feature the mobile MySpace version prominently on the Sprint mobile web portal. Sprint mobile users will be able to connect directly to MySpace from the wireless provider’s home page with a single click. The deal between Fox Media Interactive, MySpace’s parent company, and Sprint will also include other Fox owned web properties including IGN, FoxSports.com and Photobucket.
Skype/MySpace Partnership Illustrates Web 2.0 Influence on Telecom
17 Oct, 2007
Skype and MySpace are partnering to allow MySpace members to use Skype as a communications tool on their MySpace profile. MySpace has 120 million members across 20 countries. The partnership will allow MySpace members who are also Skype subscribers to insert a Skype button/widget in their MySpace profile, providing VoIP connectivity. PC-to-PC calling will be free, but MySpace will introduce a number of revenue generating "premium" features such as personal phone numbers, voice mail, call forwarding, and PC-to-landline/wireless calling. Terms of the partnership have MySpace and Skype sharing revenue.
This partnership illustrates the growing influence of web 2.0 on traditional telecom. Web 2.0 applications further erode the usefulness of traditional landline telephony, especially among youth. As more and more subscribers utilize web applications for social networking and entertainment consumption, their desire to incorporate communications functionality into those experiences increases significantly. This MySpace/Skype partnership is a perfect example of that. While it’s too early to tell the impact of this announcement (execution of these partnerships is always a wildcard), it does shed light on the possibilities that Web 2.0 offers telecom. It challenges traditional telecom carriers to recognize that their business is evolving – and quickly. Sure, we always talk about this evolution on conference panels and webinars, but here is proof positive. Traditional carriers should recognize that Skype, and companies like them, including Jajah, don’t have to be the only Web 2.0 players. Couldn't this partnership announcement just as easily have been between MySpace and Verizon? Maybe, maybe not - it all depends on your perspective. Seems to me, Verizon's 60 million+ wireless subscribers (not to mention their partner Vodaphone's global reach) would add tremendous value to this proposition. One thing is certain. As mass markets become more Web 2.0 savvy, telecom carriers will need to be proactive to ensure they don't entirely lose this opportunity to Skype and others.
Alltel Pushing Traditional Telecom Marketing Envelope
08 Oct, 2007
Alltel has embraced Web 2.0 marketing methods, and appears to be seeing some success. Ad Week magazine examines some of Alltel’s web marketing strategies which includes MySpace pages and stand alone flash websites. The marketing campaigns feature Chad, Alltel’s fictional “cool” employee. Chad’s MySpace page quickly garnered 3,500 “friends” A stand alone flash website followed, centered on the ManCave, where bungling employees from Alltel’s competitors meet and plot how to defeat Chad.
Ad Week points out that much of the marketing throughout this entire web campaign is much more subtle than other similarly developed web campaigns. Nevertheless, Alltel’s Chad and corresponding ManCave strategy has built a solid following. Alltel admits that the promotion is a long term exercise and that the results from this strategy won’t be realized for some time. For right now, it’s a branding exercise. One that Alltel is quite pleased with, especially considering the costs are relatively low, when compared with more traditional media advertising and marketing tactics.
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Telecompetitor is a leading industry blog covering the telecom competitive landscape. We provide insight, analysis, and commentary on the issues and implications of the evolving telecom competitive landscape.
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Featured Article
Should Telephone Service be Free?
12 Oct, 2008
Comcast announced a new promotion last week that offers 12 months of free basic cable service for new customers who also sign up for an additional service. Customers who don’t want an additional service can get Comcast’s basic service of about 20 -30 channels for $10/month. The promotion is tied to the digital TV transition of February 2009 and entices potential customers to avoid the transition “hassle” by getting “free” cable service. “The simple fact is that basic cable is the easiest path through the digital transition and now consumers can get it for free,” said Derek Harrar, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Video Services for Comcast in a company statement. This move is similar to strategies pursued by other video service providers, who are hoping to leverage the digital TV transition for new subscriber additions.
But is this strategy a leading indicator for the future? Should basic core services like basic cable and basic telephone service be offered for free, used as a “carrot” to entice customers to buy “more important” services like broadband? Maybe a very basic phone service, with no LD, access to landline 911, and maybe outgoing service only (to avoid telemarketers) should be a free component of a bundled offering. Such a wireline service may appeal to a customer who previously cut the cord for wireless only, but also needs broadband. There is a growing portion of the population who find the value of traditional wireline phone service elsewhere – either through wireless or broadband/IP services. But, if they could get the security of landline 911, and an extra dial tone in their home as a free value add for subscribing to broadband (or video from a telco’s perspective), maybe a telco’s bundled offering may look more attractive than a comparable cable offering. I realize this idea is not appealing to the hundreds of ILECs who are a part of the current access/settlement system (in fact, it couldn’t work in the context of today’s regulatory structure), but I wonder whether it’s inevitable. In this possible future scenario, the current settlement system adapts to broadband as the underlying service, as opposed to voice.
This scenario cuts both ways. From a cable company’s perspective, a growing portion of the population is turning to the Internet as a source for their video content, and no longer see value in paying for a broad package of video as a part of a traditional subscription pay-TV service. But, if they could receive basic TV (which includes local broadcast affiliates) as a free value add for buying broadband, maybe the cable bundle is more attractive. In a true IP/broadband world, very basic phone and video service is relatively easy to deliver, and has little impact on bandwidth and network performance. Maybe the digital transition is opening the door to a future where free basic services are a regular component of a bundled offering. Thoughts?