AT&T
Wireless' mMode (sm) customers can now access the magic of Disney from
the keypad of their wireless phones. Walt Disney Internet Group and
AT&T Wireless
have launched three, new monthly subscription services that will give
customers access to Disney's latest downloadable ringtones, graphics,
animations, games, and family-oriented information services.
Disney's
Magic Kingdom, Disney's Fun for Families, and City Lounge are among
Walt Disney Internet Group's first U.S. content offerings for the next-generation
mobile networks now being deployed by carriers around the world.
Disney's
Magic Kingdom provides ringtones, color graphics, animated
screensavers, and games based on Disney's classic characters and recent
movie releases. The service will launch with "Lilo & Stitch's"
Ohana Pet
game, a virtual pet game in which players adopt Stitch, from Disney's
recently released feature animation hit "Lilo & Stitch,"
and care for him
through their wireless phones.
Disney's
Fun for Families provides family resource information and
entertainment services from FamilyFun.com and popular Disney television
shows, including Disney's "Teamo Supremo" and Disney Channel's
new hit show
"Kim Possible." In addition to providing specialized ringtones
and
graphics, this service will also provide daily parenting tips and weekly
tips with fun ideas for weekend activities for families.
City
Lounge offers entertainment and pop culture content for adults. Drawn
from the entertainment businesses of The Walt Disney Company including
Miramax and Touchstone, content will consist of graphics from major
motion
picture releases, movie show times and reviews from Movies.com, and
a pop
culture trivia game.
"AT&T
Wireless' advanced data network and its mMode service have unlocked
an
entirely new generation of mobile entertainment services," said
Larry
Shapiro, executive vice president of business development and operations
for
Walt Disney Internet Group. "They free us to develop much more
engaging
content, introducing color animations and enhanced music. We've had
tremendous success with content for advanced platforms in international
markets, and we believe that U.S. consumers will respond to this. They've
never seen anything like it before."
"Disney has created some of the most compelling and entertaining
content in
the mobile space today," said John Bunyan, senior vice president
of AT&T
Wireless Mobile Multimedia Services. "Our customers are always
looking for
fresh new ways to personalize their wireless phones, and we believe
that
these new services will be a hit for Disney fans of all ages."
Pricing and Availability
The new content is available only for mMode customers with the Sony
Ericsson
T68i wireless phone, and plans are in place to expand to other phones
in the
near future. The three new Disney subscription services are available
for a
monthly fee of $3.99 each beyond standard mMode rates. mMode pricing
starts
as little as $2.99 a month plus usage charges. mMode customers can purchase
the new content directly from their wireless phones and the subscription
fees will be included in the their monthly billing statement from AT&T
Wireless.
mMode is available exclusively on AT&T Wireless' next-generation
GSM(tm)/GPRS network serving hundreds of cities across the U.S., including:
Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Miami, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego and
Seattle.
The AT&T Wireless GSM/GPRS network is deployed across more than
60 percent
of the company's served population. The company plans to extend the
network
nationally - excluding markets recently acquired through Telecorp --
by the
end of the year.
Informational wireless
content from Disney, ESPN and ABC has been available
in the U.S. for several years, and late last year, Walt Disney Internet
Group introduced ring tones and graphics based on Disney characters
and
properties on earlier wireless platforms from AT&T Wireless and
others.
Disney launched its first mobile content in Japan in August 2000 and
since
then has garnered more than 2.5 million subscriptions. It is available
now
throughout Asia and in Europe.
