VH1, a division of Viacom's MTV Networks, and Mobui Corporation, a mobile application development agency dedicated to mobilizing content companies at the speed of wow(TM), today announced the launch of the "VH1 Watch and Discuss Live Chat" application in the AT&T Media Mall. The downloadable mobile instant messaging application enables VH1 viewers to use their phone to chat in real time with friends and other VH1 fans while watching VH1's popular programming, as well as participate in periodic discussions hosted by VH1's popular on-air talent.
"VH1 viewers don't just watch programs like 'Rock of Love Charm School.' They analyze and talk endlessly about the shows' most memorable moments with other fans. Going mobile is the next step in our 'Watch and Discuss' initiative, enabling our viewers to get even closer and interact with our brand in more places and with fewer boundaries," said Nigel Cox-Hagan, Executive Vice President, VH1 Creative Group & Consumer Marketing.
"This mobile phone application lets our audience 'watch and discuss' our series in real time. By offering this capability, we make our audience active participants in the VH1 experience and give them a place to express themselves -- to us, to their friends and to other VH1 fans," said Tina Imm, General Manager and Senior Vice President, VH1 Digital.
"With a planned rollout on over 107 different phone models, the VH1 'Watch and Discuss' Live Chat mobile application is one of the largest interactive mobile projects ever developed for a broadcast audience," said John Burry, Founder and CEO of Mobui. "We built the application to make it easy for VH1 fans to connect with one another and the celebrities that they care about, regardless of the phone or wireless operator that they use. The mobile phone is the ultimate communication device, and innovative applications, like VH1 'Watch and Discuss' Live Chat, are demonstrating that for VH1's young, tech-savvy audience, chatting today is light-years beyond what it used to be."
A recent TNS Global Telecoms Insight (GTI) study, which interviewed 17,000 respondents across 30 countries, has found that once mobile users adopt mobile instant messaging and chat services, it overtakes other SMS, MMS, and email messaging tools to become the primary non-voice method of interacting on the phone. 61% of those surveyed used mobile chat daily, compared to only 55% who use SMS text messaging daily, and only 12% who use email on their mobile.
The VH1 "Watch and Discuss" Live Chat mobile application can be downloaded today from the AT&T MEdia Mall in the "Cool Tools" category for a one-time download price of $7.99 or a monthly subscription price of $2.99. The application currently supports 37 phones in the AT&T including the popular BlackBerry Curve and Pearl, Motorola RAZR, and Samsung BlackJack and BlackJack2 models. The companies plan to deploy the application in other wireless operator stores and on over 107 different phones, including the iPhone, throughout the upcoming year. Key features of the VH1 "Watch and Discuss" Live Chat application include:
-- VH1 Programming Chat Rooms - Chat rooms tied to VH1's on-air schedule, allowing users to instantly access the chat room of the show that is airing at any given time.
-- User-Defined Chat Rooms - Chat rooms set up by users to discuss pop culture topics such as music, politics, sports, and movies.
-- Celebrity Chat Rooms - Celebrity-hosted chat rooms with some of VH1's top talent from Celebreality programming like "Rock of Love Charm School" and "Real Chance of Love."
-- Personalized User Profile - Users create a "Watch and Discuss" Live Chat profile to manage friend and group lists and add their personal details.
-- Send to a Friend Feature - The application's SMS "send to a friend" functionality allows users to invite others to download the application or to join a current chat room by way of text messaging.
About VH1 Mobile
VH1 Mobile is a leading provider of mobile entertainment. In addition publishing a wide range of VH1 shows, music videos and original series on its mobile Web sites and on the carrier VOD services, VH1 Mobile produces original games, applications and interactive television elements as well as offers a subscription ringtone service. For more information on VH1 Mobile, visit Mobile.VH1.com.
VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 95 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Mobile, VH1Games and extensive broadband video on VH1.com. Connect with VH1 at VH1.com
About Mobui
Mobui is a mobile application development agency that createsbeautiful mobile experiences for today's leading content companies -- fast. The agency speeds time-to-market by rapidly producing premium mobile websites, downloadable mobile applications, and desktop widgets using their accelerated "speed of wow" development lifecycle and patented application development technology. Privately held and headquartered in Redmond, WA, Mobui is working with top consumer brands to deliver mobilebrand experiencesthat soar beyond the ordinary to reset expectations for how mobile consumers experience content and services on their mobile phone. Additional information is available at +1-888-893-8953, wowme@mobui.com, and http://www.mobui.com.