Sony Ericsson unveils its vision for convergence of mobile content and services
Building on the success of its PlayNow™ service Sony Ericsson reveals PlayNow™ arena
London, U.K. – 6th November – Sony Ericsson today revealed a first glimpse of its new PlayNow™ arena. This marks the latest evolution of the PlayNow™ experience, and highlights a new direction to provide consumers with a unique multimedia experience, both on the phone and via their PC.
PlayNow™ – an evolution
Sony Ericsson introduced PlayNow™ in February 2004 as the easiest way to pre-listen and then purchase polyphonic ringtones directly on your phone. The service has proved a hit with consumers and is now available in 32 countries around the world, with annual downloads through both PlayNow and Fun & Downloads having reached more than 200 million. Since launch, the scope of the service has expanded to mirror the functionality of Sony Ericsson’s phones to include mastertones (MP3 ringtones), games, full music tracks, themes and wallpapers.
Today Sony Ericsson announced its intention to further develop its PlayNow™ service and offer consumers a unique mobile entertainment experience. Roll-out of the enhanced PlayNow™ service will start in Q2 2008.
One arena
The next generation of PlayNow™ will allow consumers to access a greatly expanded range of content. But more content will only be relevant to consumers if they are offered interesting ways to search for, discover and get this content. By combining the power of the PlayNow™ catalogue with unique applications like TrackID™, Sony Ericsson will build an arena where users experience a wealth of new content in different ways.
TrackID™ has already attracted millions of consumers around the world, and is currently recording more than 125,000 hits a day on a wide variety of Sony Ericsson mobile phones. The TrackID™ experience will be developed and integrated into the PlayNow™ content catalogue.
Consumers will be able to move from TrackID™ to the PlayNow™ arena with just one click, offering an instant way to first hear a track (for example, in a coffee shop or on the radio) and then get it to your phone. The PlayNow™ arena itself will feature TrackID™ Charts, created by consumers using TrackID™ around the world and allowing you to see what songs other users are searching for and want to hear the most, both globally and in your own market.
The PlayNow™ arena will be an open environment which welcomes everyone. The current PlayNow™ catalogue will be expanded to offer a wider range of content including hundreds of games from leading publishers, themes and wallpapers, as well as millions of music tracks and thousands of mastertones from both major and independent labels. Sony Ericsson will continue to expand the range of content as it evolves PlayNow™.
Mobile games will remain a key focus within the PlayNow™ arena. In conjunction with a variety of partners, Sony Ericsson today offers an average of 200 game titles for each phone it launches. Sony Ericsson users download more games to their phones than users of any other mobile phone brand*. Going forward Sony Ericsson intends to cement its number #1 position in the mobile games market by making mobile gaming a key area within the PlayNow™ arena.
Easy Access
Consumers will be able to access the PlayNow™ arena from their mobile phone and their PC, enabling over-the-air downloads to the phone or side-loading of content from PC to mobile.
An open multimedia platform for the future
“With PlayNow™ arena we are creating a unique mobile entertainment experience open to all. We want to invite as many people as possible to be part of the PlayNow arena by removing as many restrictions as possible,“ said Martin Blomkvist, Head of Content Acquisition and Management at Sony Ericsson
The PlayNow™ arena will embrace openness and be compatible with a wide range of Sony Ericsson phones. It will also support MP3 and Windows Media DRM-enabled devices, regardless of manufacturer
In addition, PlayNow™ will offer a large catalogue of free content, so users can enjoy the PlayNow experience without having to make a purchase. And, the majority of the music catalogue will be offered in DRM-free format.
A service built on partnerships
PlayNow™ exists as a collaboration with numerous partners. It already creates significant value through more than 100 billing / revenue share agreements with operators worldwide. At the same time, Sony Ericsson has existing agreements in place with major global and local content providers, enabling the development of an ecosystem that provides a unique experience for the consumer, and a business model where everybody prospers.
One Arena. Unlimited experiences.
The PlayNow™ arena will launch in selected markets from Q2 2008 with continuous roll-out during the year.
Notes
M:Metrics data for EU5 markets shows that over a third of Sony Ericsson phone owners play a mobile game on their handset (either pre-loaded, downloaded or via a browser) while less than a quarter of other mobile owners do. And, owners of Sony Ericsson phones are over twice as likely to download a mobile game to their phone compared other handset owners.
London, U.K. – 6th November – Sony Ericsson today revealed a first glimpse of its new PlayNow™ arena. This marks the latest evolution of the PlayNow™ experience, and highlights a new direction to provide consumers with a unique multimedia experience, both on the phone and via their PC.
PlayNow™ – an evolution
Sony Ericsson introduced PlayNow™ in February 2004 as the easiest way to pre-listen and then purchase polyphonic ringtones directly on your phone. The service has proved a hit with consumers and is now available in 32 countries around the world, with annual downloads through both PlayNow and Fun & Downloads having reached more than 200 million. Since launch, the scope of the service has expanded to mirror the functionality of Sony Ericsson’s phones to include mastertones (MP3 ringtones), games, full music tracks, themes and wallpapers.
Today Sony Ericsson announced its intention to further develop its PlayNow™ service and offer consumers a unique mobile entertainment experience. Roll-out of the enhanced PlayNow™ service will start in Q2 2008.
One arena
The next generation of PlayNow™ will allow consumers to access a greatly expanded range of content. But more content will only be relevant to consumers if they are offered interesting ways to search for, discover and get this content. By combining the power of the PlayNow™ catalogue with unique applications like TrackID™, Sony Ericsson will build an arena where users experience a wealth of new content in different ways.
TrackID™ has already attracted millions of consumers around the world, and is currently recording more than 125,000 hits a day on a wide variety of Sony Ericsson mobile phones. The TrackID™ experience will be developed and integrated into the PlayNow™ content catalogue.
Consumers will be able to move from TrackID™ to the PlayNow™ arena with just one click, offering an instant way to first hear a track (for example, in a coffee shop or on the radio) and then get it to your phone. The PlayNow™ arena itself will feature TrackID™ Charts, created by consumers using TrackID™ around the world and allowing you to see what songs other users are searching for and want to hear the most, both globally and in your own market.
The PlayNow™ arena will be an open environment which welcomes everyone. The current PlayNow™ catalogue will be expanded to offer a wider range of content including hundreds of games from leading publishers, themes and wallpapers, as well as millions of music tracks and thousands of mastertones from both major and independent labels. Sony Ericsson will continue to expand the range of content as it evolves PlayNow™.
Mobile games will remain a key focus within the PlayNow™ arena. In conjunction with a variety of partners, Sony Ericsson today offers an average of 200 game titles for each phone it launches. Sony Ericsson users download more games to their phones than users of any other mobile phone brand*. Going forward Sony Ericsson intends to cement its number #1 position in the mobile games market by making mobile gaming a key area within the PlayNow™ arena.
Easy Access
Consumers will be able to access the PlayNow™ arena from their mobile phone and their PC, enabling over-the-air downloads to the phone or side-loading of content from PC to mobile.
An open multimedia platform for the future
“With PlayNow™ arena we are creating a unique mobile entertainment experience open to all. We want to invite as many people as possible to be part of the PlayNow arena by removing as many restrictions as possible,“ said Martin Blomkvist, Head of Content Acquisition and Management at Sony Ericsson
The PlayNow™ arena will embrace openness and be compatible with a wide range of Sony Ericsson phones. It will also support MP3 and Windows Media DRM-enabled devices, regardless of manufacturer
In addition, PlayNow™ will offer a large catalogue of free content, so users can enjoy the PlayNow experience without having to make a purchase. And, the majority of the music catalogue will be offered in DRM-free format.
A service built on partnerships
PlayNow™ exists as a collaboration with numerous partners. It already creates significant value through more than 100 billing / revenue share agreements with operators worldwide. At the same time, Sony Ericsson has existing agreements in place with major global and local content providers, enabling the development of an ecosystem that provides a unique experience for the consumer, and a business model where everybody prospers.
One Arena. Unlimited experiences.
The PlayNow™ arena will launch in selected markets from Q2 2008 with continuous roll-out during the year.
Notes
M:Metrics data for EU5 markets shows that over a third of Sony Ericsson phone owners play a mobile game on their handset (either pre-loaded, downloaded or via a browser) while less than a quarter of other mobile owners do. And, owners of Sony Ericsson phones are over twice as likely to download a mobile game to their phone compared other handset owners.
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