November 3rd, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Companies & M&A | No Comments »
Think mobile content is just for geeks? Mickey Mouse begs to differ.
Mark Handler, executive vice president and managing director, Walt Disney Internet Group International
Many people hear the words “mobile content” and instantly think of young, male “gamer” types. Although that segment represents early adopters, Disney has found that mobile content presents a strong business opportunity in more mainstream content for mass audiences, especially when you view it from a global perspective.
In August 2000, with a combination of calculated risk and blind faith, the WDIG (Walt Disney Internet Group) entered the nascent mobile-content market in Japan, aggressively investing in production, marketing, and infrastructure to launch the Disney-i service with NTT DoCoMo. What started as a basic suite of services, including Disney-branded graphics, ring tones, games, and utilities, quickly developed into a meaningful and profitable business. Disney Mobile is now the No. 1 brand of mobile content in Japan. It has relationships with the four major Japanese carriers
