US
: 3, the mobile media company, today confirmed that the 2006 FIFA
World Cup triggered a massive surge in the uptake of mobile TV.
3
saw over 3.6 million viewings of its World Cup based mobile programming,
pushing mobile TV usage to an all time high – up 61% on the
month prior to the tournament.
3 created three dedicated World Cup mobile TV channels offering a
wide range of content including extended match highlights of every
game just five minutes after the final whistle, and Berlin or Bust,
the world’s first made-for-mobile sport magazine show. All 3’s
3.5 million customers could tune in to watch this unparalleled coverage
for free, which helped boost average weekly TV viewings during the
World Cup period to more than 740,000.
3’s match highlights channel proved the most popular with the
equivalent of a full capacity Arsenal stadium crowd tuning in daily
to catch up on matches they missed or relive the action on 3. Berlin
or Bust, which saw host Sam Delaney shoot the breeze with celebrity
guests and pundits from Ally McCoist to Kate Lawler, was also a hit
generating more than 630,000 viewings.
World Cup TV highlights:
1. England vs Trinidad & Tobago: Relief at last in England’s
late, late show
2. England Paraguay: England kick off their World Cup bid
3. England vs Equador: Fans relive David Beckham’s legendary
free kick
4. Italy vs France: Butt what was Zidane thinking
5. Spain vs Ukraine: Spain show what they’re made of with 4
nil thrashing
Graeme Oxby, 3’s Marketing Director said: “The 2006 FIFA
World Cup™ has put mobile TV on the map, with the weekly viewing
figures for World Cup TV peaking at over a million. We hope that the
success our specially commissioned show, Berlin or Bust, will pave
the way for new and innovative mobile TV formats to meet the needs
of the growing mobile audience.”
Following the success of World Cup TV, 3 is looking to the future
and has issued a challenge to the broadcast industry to create compelling
new TV content for mobiles. 3’s Pilot Pitch has tasked TV production
companies with devising a ground-breaking concept for a mobile audience,
offering a prize of up to £50k to fund the pilot - with an option
to commission the show.
