Transpera, provider of the first comprehensive solution to monetize video on mobile phones, today announced partnerships with two of the industry's leading news and information brands, msnbc.com and The Weather Channel, to host and deliver mobile video services and targeted, dynamic mobile advertising. Both media represent popular mobile media genres, news and weather, respectively, and are partially owned by parent company NBC Universal.
Weather and News/Politics are among the top 5 mobile Internet website categories, according to Nielsen, Mobile Media Marketplace report (Q1 2008) and other sources. The Weather Channel is the number one mobile content site, according to October 2008 Nielsen reports. Additionally, according to Nielsen Online, msnbc.com was named the number one Current Events and Global News destination for six consecutive months, with more than 41 million unique visitors in November, 2008.
Using The Weather Channel data, content and products, Transpera currently hosts the video section of The Weather Channel mobile Web site. Transpera powers the video delivery and ad-insertion into these pages. Mobile users will have access to The Weather Channel content such as video forecasts for 100 U.S. cities, updated frequently throughout the day. The Weather Channel products provide access to national forecasts, top stories, weekend outlooks, regional forecasts covering nine U.S. areas, severe weather reports and travel-specific conditions. The mobile video products are available now on many video-capable phones, including the iPhone and many other smartphones, via mobile URL http://mvideo.weather.com.
"Video is such a natural way to share weather information with mobile consumers," said Louis Gump, VP, Mobile, The Weather Channel Interactive. "The Weather Channel has been synonymous with weather video for more than 25 years. This agreement with Transpera allows us to continue to integrate video into the mobile Web and, in turn, enhance the customer experience, from the beach to the ballpark."
Msnbc.com will deliver a rich new video experience to consumers and advertisers by integrating video into its mobile site. The "msnbc.com mobile" "msnbc.com mobile" site will deliver NBC News video and innovative new advertising capabilities on mobile devices, beginning in March 2009. Msnbc.com's popular mobile Internet site, mobile.msnbc.com, currently delivers breaking news updates and sports scores as well as politics, travel and local news stories that users want. Consumers will soon be able to immerse themselves in a visually compelling mobile video experience that mirrors the video experience on msnbc.com. This new video offering underscores msnbc.com's commitment to provide consumers and advertisers with the latest video innovations and features - on any platform.
With the new video-enhanced "msnbc.com mobile" site, consumers can enjoy a fuller spectrum of news, information and entertainment from any video-capable phone. Msnbc.com, the online channel for the entire NBC News family, enables "msnbc.com mobile" viewers to watch exclusive video segments from NBC's top-rated news programs, including "Today," "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams," and "Meet the Press."
For consumers, the seamless video integration, featuring branded mobile video destinations for each show, means they can enjoy msnbc.com video anytime and anywhere, just as if they were watching it on the site or on-air. For advertisers, it is another opportunity to connect with the highly engaged and desirable audience of America's #1 news site* on its popular mobile platform. Msnbc.com, an industry leader in mobile advertising concepts and sales, and has partnered with Transpera on its advertising platform which couples content with targeted ads such as its 5-15 second PeekTM pre-roll video, and display advertising, that are uniquely suited for the mobile user.
"Our plans to deliver video through our mobile site answer the growing demand from both consumers and advertisers for a mobile experience that closely matches what they're used to seeing online," said Charlie Tillinghast, President of msnbc.com. "Adding video creates a seamless experience for our mobile users, presents targeted and effective video ad opportunities for advertisers, and opens new channels for growth at msnbc.com."
"The addition of these acclaimed media giants to our network represents opportunities for mobile users to enjoy even more best-of-breed free mobile video," said Frank Barbieri, founder and CEO of Transpera. "In turn, the mobile phone is steadily becoming an ideal way for advertisers and publishers to reach lucrative demographic groups. We're thrilled to be working with both msnbc.com and The Weather Channel, and we look forward to their continued success through 2009 and beyond."
About The Weather Channel Interactive
The Weather Channel Interactive (TWCi) is the leading provider of broadband and wireless weather products including weather.com, The Weather Channel Desktop and The Weather Channel Mobile. weather.com, the Web site of The Weather Channel, is the ultimate source of weather on the Web helping users plan their lives by delivering timely current conditions, expert forecasts and relevant lifestyle content for 98,000 location IDs worldwide. TWCi reaches more than 38 million unique users online each month and is the most popular source of online weather, news and information according to Nielsen//NetRatings. TWCi also provides consumers with unique and customizable products such as Desktop Weather, toolbars, extensions, widgets, gadgets, and a full lineup of mobile services including downloads, messaging, mobile Web, and mobile video. Other TWCi sites include forGetaway.com, a vacation home rental site, Forecast Earth, a site dedicated to the discussion of climate change, and a series of international sites, including www.weather.co.uk, www.meteo123.com, www.wetter123.com, www.canaldotempo.com and www.weather.com/espanol.
The Weather Channel Companies are owned by a consortium made up of NBC Universal and the private equity firms The Blackstone Group and Bain Capital. For more information on The Weather Channel Companies, including press releases, images, executive information and backgrounders please visit www.weather.com/press.
About msnbc.com
Msnbc.com delivers a fuller spectrum of news. Drawing on its award-winning original journalism, NBC News heritage, trusted sources and Microsoft's advanced technologies, the site presents compelling, diverse and visually engaging stories on the consumer's platform of choice. Based in Redmond, WA, msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) and NBC Universal (NYSE:GE). According to Nielsen Online, msnbc.com was the number one Current Events and Global News site with more than 41 million unique visitors in November, 2008.
Consumers can easily access msnbc.com's popular mobile Internet site at www.mobile.msnbc.com or by typing "msnbc.com" into a mobile device.
About Transpera
Transpera provides the industry's first comprehensive platform for monetizing videos on mobile phones. The company's award winning mobile video delivery and advertising platform provides online content owners, network operators and advertisers with a turnkey solution that connects all the necessary pieces involved in successful and profitable mobile video deployments. Powering mobile video channels for such premium online video brands as AccuWeather.com®, Associated Press, Break.com, CBS News, Discovery Communications, ebaum's World, Fox Reality Channel, maniaTV, MSNBC.com, MTV Networks, Next New Networks, Revision3, Travel Channel, The Weather Channel®, Zoovision and more, Transpera is quickly building the largest free mobile video network in North America. Transpera is based in Santa Monica, Calif. and is funded by top venture firms Flybridge Capital (formerly IDG Ventures), Intel Capital, First Round Capital Ventures, and Labrador Ventures. For more information, visit www.transpera.com.