Fantastic And Prisma Launch World’s First Dedicated Provider Of Broadband Sports And Entertainment Content For Mobile Phones
The Fantastic Corporation and Prisma Sports & Media have today announced the launch of Worldzap, a new company with the technology to distribute live and near-live sports action video highlights to the next generation of hand-held devices - the mobile telephones of tomorrow.
Worldzap is a joint-venture company between the Fantastic Corporation, Prisma Sports & Media (a subsidiary of Germany's Kirch Group) and the ETF Group. Worldzap will provide a combination of news, live action clips and immediate results to the owners of a new generation of hand-held mobile devices. Premium services will be developed around the world's major sports events, aimed at consumers who want to stay in touch with the best sports action at all times and from any location. In addition to sports, Worldzap will also provide content from the music and entertainment industry.
Initially, Worldzap will offer text services using Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), i-mode and SMS, and will quickly evolve to offer photos and full-motion video. The use of Fantastic's software and global satellite distribution system will enable Worldzap to bypass the current bottlenecks of the Internet, to deliver its sports content at broadband speeds to a society that is becoming increasingly mobile. The service will be sold through mobile operators, many of whom are already Fantastic customers.
The largest part of Worldzap's market will be mobile phones, a market growing at an astounding rate. The mobile phone population is expected to grow from 440 million to more than a billion users in 2003, as mobiles change from telephones into small computing devices that can connect to the Internet. An increasing proportion of these phones will support data services and broadband communication, such as delivery of "instant replay" video clips. It is forecast that 50% of the mobile phones in use in 2003 will be able to receive data in the form of broadband services.
The user will subscribe to the Worldzap service, choosing from a menu of programming options (e.g. goals, follow a team, follow a particular player, interviews, previews, results). The Fantastic Corporation technology will be used to notify the user that a "clip" is ready for viewing at the touch of a button - often within seconds of the live event occurring - and to deliver this to the handset.
Worldzap brings together the Fantastic Corporation's lead as a global provider of broadband multimedia solutions and Prisma's experience in the acquisition and management of sports content. Worldzap offers a tailored service, including e-commerce potential, promotional benefits and information services. Rights owners - sports federations, leagues and clubs, as well as music and entertainment companies - will reach fans in a one-to-one environment. This direct dialogue with fans is the shape of things to come, opening up a whole range of highly targeted opportunities for rights holders.
Prisma Sports & Media represents the exclusive media rights in Europe for the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup, on behalf of the Kirch Group, as well as representing rights to other leading international sports properties, including the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. Fantastic is ahead of its competitors in helping to drive the broadband market to its next evolution. Through its Channel Management software and global satellite distribution capabilities, it has developed a method of broadcasting multimedia material and data information to hand-held devices.
Worldzap has administrative and technical headquarters office in Switzerland, with marketing and rights acquisition located in London - utilizing the Prisma Sports & Media center of competence. A production and client services office is planned for New York.
Reto Braun, President and CEO of the Fantastic Corporation, said: "In the future, the consumer will be increasingly mobile - the world is going wireless. The next step for mobile operators is to deliver thrilling sports and entertainment content to their customers. We are really excited to be the driver of this new development. We are going to re-write the instruction book for the mobile experience!"
Peter Sprogis, Managing Director of Prisma, said: "We intend Worldzap to become the world's leading provider of sports content for handheld devices. Worldzap offers rights owners - sports federations, leagues and clubs - significant commercial benefits, including the ability to reach fans in a one-to-one environment. This opens up e-commerce potential and provides scope for promotional benefits and information services".