Orange Announces Ad-Funded Content Trial For 800,000 Mobile Users In The UK

Orange today announced the launch of a new advertisement-supported
content trial on its mobile internet platform, Orange World. The move
will see 800,000 of Orange’s 15.6 million mobile customers given the
option to download a variety of music content, from four different
genres (Urban, Pop, Rock, Dance) to their mobile handsets for free, or
a discounted rate, making it the largest trial of its kind in the UK.

Ad-funded content offers new ways of reaching audiences and the
potential to generate new business models within the industry.
Beginning this week, the trial will last three months and will allow
brands to have their advertising promoted prominently during the
content purchase process as customers download music, offering them a
unique opportunity to interact with a captive audience on their mobile
phone.

Mobile advertising company ScreenTonic are managing
and delivering the ads for the trial, and have already signed up a
number of advertisers to the trial including Paramount Pictures and
Ford. Orange customers taking part in the trial will be able to
download music either for free, for half or full price. Orange will
make over 500 music tracks available on the service.

Steve
Ricketts, Head of Third Party Services, Orange UK said: “We believe
this ad-funded content model will drive adoption and usage of services,
and deliver better value content to our customers. Whilst the trial is
initially set for music we are also intending to test this across other
content areas, such as games. The mobile is an incredibly personal
device and our ad-funded content offer gives advertisers a great
opportunity to reach a new audience”.

Theo Theodorou, head of sales at ScreenTonic said: “The ad funded
content trial will provide a route into the mobile experience for
brands that have previously had little familiarity of the medium. It is
an exciting reason for brands to get involved with mobile, as the media
develops increasingly innovative solutions to allow advertisers to
reach audiences”