(6 January 2007 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: UK based video to mobile firm Yamgo has launched a portfolio of mobile TV advertising solutions. These will enable companies to create brand awareness and advertise products and services directly to consumers using mobile TV and video.

The solutions range from the production of made-for-mobile adverts to global distribution and tracking of adverts via the Yamgo TV channel, viral downloads and video streaming over 2.5G and 3G networks.

Yamgo says that it has built a reputation for the production and publishing of extreme sports mobile video content and has invested in the technology and infrastructure to deliver video downloads and stream mobile TV directly to consumers. Yamgo CEO Ian Mullins says, “Advertiser-funded programming and video downloads with a 5-7 second pre-roll ad will enable consumers to watch free mobile TV and video on their mobile phones.

"While it is still too early to predict how consumers will react to adverts on their mobile phone, we are using a traditional TV business model applied to mobile entertainment and offering a unique high-quality free mobile TV experience. Mobile TV campaigns can be integrated with advertisers’ existing TV branding with interactive elements providing brand interaction and collection of valuable user data to personalise content and adverts.”

Mobile TV ads and mini series are produced from Yamgo’s stock footage or using HD cameras filming specifically for mobile devices. Working with the world’s top extreme sports athletes Yamgo produces made-for-mobile content in over 26 different extreme sports. This unique production capacity enables Yamgo to create exclusive stunts and inspiring action sequences to capture attention whilst stimulating interest and desire in the product or service being advertised.

Yamgo operations director Shaun Ellison says, “Capturing and retaining the interest of the highly coveted youth demographic and delivering adverts requires a unique approach to production. The content must deliver a short, sharp burst viewing experience on a small screen. Extreme sports work really well on mobile phones and the content genre has a mass market appeal.”

Mobile TV ads can be inserted in between programming on the Yamgo Mobile TV channel or packaged as a pre-roll advert before a mobile TV download or streaming session. Yamgo TV which is currently available in the UK, the US and China consists of mini films, crashes, equipment malfunctions and unique extreme sports stunts such as mountain biking off Beachy Head, Paragliding out of helicopters, River Surfing and Extreme Canopy Flying.

Yamgo offers four main options for mobile video delivery: Java Vidlets, Multimedia Messages (MMS), downloads and streaming links (3GP, MP4, RM). Java and MMS offer the widest compatibility and ease of use for viral marketing, but are limited to short videos, ideally less than 10 seconds. Downloads offer a high-quality user experience and are ideal for videos less than 90 seconds in length.

Streaming is suitable for longer programming, but currently suffers from low device and network compatibility. Interactive mobile TV elements such as voting and links for more information can be integrated to enhance brand interaction with device recognition and usage statistics providing measurable results.