Page 12 - Sphere No.14 (Jul 2005)

PHOTO, FACING PAGE BOTTOM LEFT: ©REX/STARPIX
3 G H O T S P O T
WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE SINGERS? Do you want to
watch them in action – any time, any place? You can, with 3’s
innovative video jukebox service.
Thanks to 3G technology, catching the latest music videos is
as easy as making a phone call. 3 offers videos on demand for
customers to download or stream onto their mobiles – and
around the world from London to Sydney the response is over-
whelming. Customers in 3’s nine markets around the world
have watched over 30 million full version music videos on their
mobiles so far.
In the United Kingdom, where 3 is the largest video mobile
network and the only provider to offer full-length music videos,
watching by mobile is such a hit that the latest single from pop
sensation Natasha Bedingfield, “I Bruise Easily”, actually pre-
miered on 3. Over 2.5 million 3 customers saw the video on
their mobiles five weeks before the single was released.
3 has responded to the huge demand for video downloads by
doubling the list of artistes whose videos are available to 3 users
in the UK. In a new agreement with Sony BMG Music
Entertainment, 3 has added global stars such
as Destiny's Child and Manic Street Preachers
to the video jukebox list. They’re joining the
singers who are already driving demand for
video-by-phone, such as
Britney Spears, Robbie
Williams and Kasabian.
Going for gold
A music industry phenomenon, video phone downloads even
have their own equivalent of the golden disc. Natasha
Bedingfield was presented with the first
ever award for music video downloads in
March, after emerging as the most down-
loaded artiste over a mobile network. As
Natasha said when she received the award,
“3’s video jukebox is a great new way for
my fans to watch my videos on the move.”
But the UK’s not the only market where
3 customers can’t stop downloading music
videos. It’s big news Down Under, too. In
April “Call On Me” by Ministry of Sound’s
Eric Prydz scored a gold award after fans
kept downloading it on their video
mobiles. 3 mobile is the only carrier with a
3G network in Australia and this means it
can offer users far more than any of its competitors.
Downloading the files needed
for full-length video or audio
tracks is too slow and difficult
over existing GSM networks.
3 mobile launched its 3G
service in Australia in April
2003 so it’s just celebrated its second birthday. Fast-growing
usage of 3’s business services made this a birthday to remember.
All around the world
Music fans in 3’s other markets are equally excited to be able to
listen to music on the go. Downloads are growing fast in Italy,
another market where 3 is the first operator to launch 3G
mobile video services.
Music downloads caught the imagination of customers
through the videos available from the 2005 Festival of
Italian Song in Sanremo. Exactly half a century after the
festival was televised for the first time, it became possi-
ble to follow it by video phone. Thanks to a ground-
breaking deal with Sony Music and the media com-
seeing stars
ON YOUR MOBILE
You can have music wherever you go
What could be cooler
than watching your favourite
stars via your 3G mobile?
SPHERE 10