MOBILE OPERATOR 3 Ireland has launched a free video-on-demand service that its subscribers can access directly from their mobile phone. Accessed through the Planet 3 portal, use of the service does not incur any network charges as it is funded by advertising. Short 10-second videos run before and after the videos which at the moment primarily consists of comedy content.
The service is being managed for 3 Ireland by Gorillabox, a British-managed services firm which has been operating a similar service for 3 UK for the last year.
Launched with relatively little fanfare at the beginning of the month, 3 Ireland’s head of products Rob Langton says there has been a “strong uptake” of the service. Users provide some basic demographic information – age and sex – as well as their preferences for content they would like to see the first time they access the service. He says that news, weather, sport and film trailers are on subscribers’ wishlists and it is now working with Gorillabox to source this kind of content.
Discount hotel booking service 1800 Hotels has signed up as the advertiser to use the service and is currently running pre-roll ads before clips.
The demographic information will be used to ensure ads are relevant to the individual who sees them, said Mr Langton. “If people see stuff that is relevant and free, it attracts them to Planet 3.”
3 has always styled itself as a mobile media network rather than simply a phone provider and is now the largest provider of mobile broadband with 145,000 subscribers. It provides video sports content such as Premiership soccer, but this is its first foray into free content.
