Fisher Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSCI) announced today that its three Univision affiliated stations have agreed to join HipCricket's recently established Hispanic Mobile Marketing Network. The network is the first of its kind and these stations will now be part of a network consisting of over 80 broadcast stations.
Seventy-five percent of all U.S. Hispanic households have multiple mobile phones and use them more than any other form of personal or handheld technologies on the market today, with more than half regularly using text messaging, according to a study by the Mobile Marketing Association.
Since HipCricket's Hispanic mobile marketing network is 100% permission-based, consumers only receive mobile messages that are personalized based on the consumer's preferences and needs.
"We welcome Fisher to this important initiative," said HipCricket's CEO Ivan Braiker. "The Hispanic market represents an unprecedented opportunity for broadcasters and brands because of its sizeable and growing population, enormous purchasing power and great consumer loyalty."
Fisher's Univision stations will be able to deliver targeted and interactive mobile marketing opportunities directly to the handsets of opted-in, engaged mobile users as part of a large and valuable pipeline to the U.S. Hispanic consumer marketplace that is expected to exceed $1 trillion by 2010.
"HipCricket's mobile marketing solutions will allow our stations to connect with our audience in a more personal manner and enable our advertisers to offer customized local mobile offers for our growing Hispanic community," said Fisher's President and CEO Colleen B. Brown.
About Fisher Communications
Fisher Communications, Inc. is a Seattle-based communications company that owns and operates 13 full power television stations (including a 50%-owned television station), eight low power television stations and eight radio stations in the Western United States. The Company owns and operates Fisher Pathways, a satellite and fiber transmission provider; Fisher Plaza, a media, telecommunications, and data center facility located near downtown Seattle; and Pegasus News, an online start-up and hyper-local media pioneer based in Dallas. For more information about Fisher Communications, Inc., go to www.fsci.com.