Mobile Entertainment Issue 57, November 2009 by Intent Media (now Newbay Media Europe)

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NOVEMBER 2009 ISSUE 57

FOR EVERYONE IN MOBILE CONTENT www.mobile-ent.biz

MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT

Vodafone’s degree course Is 360 the start of a revolution?

Binbit

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CONTENTS

CIRCLE 10 FULL Is Vodafone 360 the start of a revolution?

WIN OR BUST

FUTURE SOUNDS

New name, new start for Windows Mobile

How acts like the Foo Fighters use apps

HARD FACTS

THE MONTERREY WAY

The big questions facing mobile porn

Just weeks before ME was launched in 2005, Vodafone held a press conference to launch 3G handsets and services. Hopes were so high back then â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a world of rich media speedily delivered to hungry customers. Makes you cry to think about how those hopes were dashed. The old retail model for operator decks died a little bit last month with the phased replacement of Vodafone Live! with Vodafone 360. In this issue, we quiz Voda all about what could be a strategy of historic significance. On other pages, we examine how the shift from decks to apps has put the pressure on major games publishers with big money licences, question some adult content specialists, examine the level of M&A activity in the sector and ponder Microsoftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest mobile push...

ME talks to Mexican D2C powerhouse Binbit

4-6 News 28 Appointments 30 Shows 31 Network subs 32 Databox 34 Charts 37 Marketplace 44 Discontent www.mobile-ent.biz

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NEWS

The new era starts now wenty years ago this month, the Berlin Wall came down and the complexion of post-war Europe changed forever. For readers old enough to remember the Iron Curtain, those were extraordinary times to live through. It’s not often you see history being made in real time. And today, when the only thing that people in the UK riot about is being first in the queue for a new Ikea opening (true), it was a heartwarming show of people power. In mobile, we’re living through similarly seismic changes right now. People are expressing their democratic imperative by switching allegiance from the ancien regime of Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola to Apple, HTC and Samsung. This much is evident from the fiscals announced in the last few weeks (see

360 is the first operator project to comprehend that the carrier’s best hope is to add value to content provider services, not compete with them. story opposite). They’re also making purchasing decisions based as much on entirely non-mobile brands such as Facebook and Hyves as on operator tariffs. It’s all change. All thrilling too. Why? Because the old guard is responding to the turmoil with genuinely bold strategies of its own. Vodafone 360 is a case in point. It’s being touted as the successor to Vodafone Live, but there’s really little to connect the two. Live was a retail shop; 360 is an attempt to put the phone/address book at the centre of a panoply of connected services – whether entertainment, maps or utilities. As ever, everything depends on the implementation. But insiders are saying – and I agree with them – that this is the first operator project ever to comprehend that carriers’ best hope is to add value to content providers, not compete with them. In this issue, we talk to Vodafone about 360, and we also investigate what the MEF is doing with its Smart Pipe Enablers initiative. I’m sure the MEF will be delighted with 360, as it’s a real world demonstration of what the Smart Pipe project is seeking to achieve – an agreement between operators to give third parties access to its ‘crown jewels’ (knowing where users are, what handset they use etc). It’s not Coucescu being shot live on TV, but it’s still quite revolutionary to me. Tim.Green@intentmedia.co.uk; @timgreen64 4

November 2009

New event to focus on app revolution Vodafone, O2, Mobango, Samsung and others back the Mobile Content Congress – delegate price set at only £125 A MAJOR new industry event, Mobile Content Congress, is to give IP owners, content providers and developers the chance to find out how to monetise mobile apps and widgets. It takes place at Church House in London on Monday, November 23rd and costs just £125 to attend. As ME went to press, Vodafone, O2, Samsung, Orange and Mobango were among the companies set to present their vision for a mobile future based around

apps and widgets. The day long event will also give delegates an opportunity to book networking sessions with the vendors and hear ‘speed presentations’ from start-up companies. Lunch and a

drinks reception are also included in the price. To find out more about sponsorship packages please call 0845 456 2338 or e-mail sales@call2action.biz. To book tickets please go to www.mobile-ent.biz/events. The opulent Church House in Westminster will host the Mobile Content Congress

Mobango passes 550m milestone ITALY-BASED social mobile application store Mobango says its membership has grown to five million – and that these users have downloaded more than 550 million pieces of mobile content so far. Mobango's portal allows members to download apps and share them with others from the handset. The

company says its membership is primarily made up of the 18-25 year old and 26-34 year old demographics, with consumers concentrated in the US, India, UK and Italy, with Germany and Spain. The growth is a vindication of Mobango’s strategy to build a handsetagnostic web-based app store. Fabio Pezzotti, CEO of Mobango (pictured), said: “Reaching over five million members in the Mobango global community is a fantastic achievement for us – and a real endorsement for what we’re doing. The growth we’re seeing reinforces our ideas about how a social mobile apps store works best. www.mobango.com

Meet ME’s new ad manager KATY Grant has joined ME as ad sales manager from London agency CBS Outdoor. She arrives at an exciting time for ME as it expands activity in events and online – and builds on its print heritage. Stuart Dinsey, MD of ME publisher Intent Media said: “I’m delighted that Katy has joined us, and I’m confident she’ll use all her experience to take ME to new heights.” www.mobile-ent.biz

www.mobile-ent.biz

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Shazam! 50m users

No Apple crunch

MUSIC discovery service Shazam has added 15 million users since February, taking its total past the 50 million mark. It’s aiming at 100 million by the end of 2010. It will now streamline its strategy around two offers: a complimentary app for five tags a month, or a $5 payment for unlimited tags. Shazam has also taken a strategic investment from the VC company behind the prestigious $100 million iFund Andrew Fisher, CEO of Shazam, is thrilled: “We’re the first UK investment for the iFund, which we consider to be a massive vote of confidence in what we’re doing,” he said.

Fiscals reveal Apple as the true winner of the smartphone era

www.shazam.com

THE SUDDEN and disruptive rise of the touchscreen has played havoc with the ‘old order’ in mobile handsets, vaulting Apple to record profits and Nokia to historic losses. Fiscals posted last month also showed how LG has benefited from the shift, while Sony Ericsson has yet to turn its fortunes around. Apple sold 7.4 million iPhones and half a billion app downloads in Q3 alone to boost revenues to $9.87 billion and net profits to $1.67 billion for its fourth quarter – its most profitable ever. It achieved this despite component shortages for the iPhone 3GS. Apple’s COO Tim Cook said: "When you look at the ecosystem that we’ve got with iTunes and the App Store, plus the very strong product pipeline that we have, we feel very, very good about sitting up and competing against anyone." Not least Nokia, which made a net loss of €913 million for the period, compared with a profit of €1.1 billion for the same

Apple’s Tim Cook is feeling good, and so he should after those fiscals

quarter last year. Net sales of €9.8 billion were down 20 per cent year-on-year. Despite this, market share remained constant at 38 per cent. Service revenues were €148 million for the quarter. Sony Ericsson fared worse, recording its fifth straight quarterly loss with sales down 42 per cent to €1.62 billion. However, at least the decline

Remember kids, don’t drink and drive and download

Set the satnav for in-car apps

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satnav button. Its showcase presented travel guides, games, web radio, podcasts, Facebook, Twitter and more. The Concept BMW Application Store can also transfer contact data such as addresses or telephone numbers to the phone. In terms of UI, there's a menu path that links to 'app store' from 'BMW Services'.

Starz and Streams Mobile Streams has announced a licensing deal with FoneStarz to distribute its content in Western Europe, Australasia and Africa. The deal covers FoneStarz' operator partners in the UK, Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Egypt. Content includes video clips from the Mr Bean cartoon, comedy voicetones and wallpapers from men's mag Maxim.

About TIM for Qualcomm

is slowing. Units shipped in the quarter grew by two per cent. Conversely, LG prospered through the upheaval. Its handset revenues leapt 24.8 per cent while shipments increased to 31.6 million. The firm highlighted strong sales in Europe and emerging markets, particularly with its Cookie phone. www.apple.com

3UK goes a bundle on Spotify

BMW has accelerated ahead to launch the ‘Concept BMW Application Store’, and give drivers the chance to download apps for the car. The German firm presented the app store concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, showing how to personalise a car to the interests of its occupants at the touch of a

[IN BRIEF]

Further options include 'social networks', 'on the road' and 'entertainment'. Clearly location is an important component for incar apps, and BMW has shown apps that draw on info from the navigation system and even plans to link to other data such as acceleration or braking data. www.bmwblog.com

3UK has once again embraced a ‘disruptive’ service. This time it’s Spotify. The operator is to sell a HTC Hero Android handset bundled with the streaming music service. Customers pay £99 up front, and then £35 a month for 24 months for a tariff including a Spotify Premium subscription covering both PC and mobile, 750 minutes voice calls, unlimited texts, data and Skype-to-Skype calls. www.three.co.uk

Qualcomm has announced a big win for its Plaza Retail white-label app store platform, signing up the Brazilian subsidiary of TIM. The App Store will launch in the first quarter next year. The big deal about Plaza Retail is that it’s capable of supporting Java, Brew, Flash and Android, with Windows Mobile, Symbian, Palm and LiMo due to be added in the future. Qualcomm says that TIM’s app store will be available to its 40 million subscribers in Brazil, who’ll be able to download the app store client from TIM’s portal.

Acer in spades New smartphone entrant Acer has targeted double digit market share in two to three years. The Taiwanese company has, unveiled a bunch of Windows and Android-based phones this year. Last month it added the world’s first Android 1.6 device – the Liquid – to the line-up. Gianfranco Lanci, CEO of Acer International, said: " Our share of the notebook market in 2002 was less than five per cent. Now it's 20 per cent. We believe we can achieve something similar in smartphones."

Boldly gone this month RIM's BlackBerry Bold 2 (aka 9700) will begin rolling out worldwide in the next few weeks. The device is an update of one of the firm’s biggest selling handsets to date. It offers HSDPA, 256MB Flash memory, built-in GPS, Wi-Fi and a 3.2 megapixel camera. RIM says it can also sync with iTunes and Windows Media Player music (DRM-free MP3s only) while supporting BlackBerry Desktop Manager and BlackBerry Media Sync.

MBO for Picsel Picsel’s management team, led by founder and former CEO Imran Khand, has purchased the Picsel Group of companies out of administration, and will continue to operate the business as a going concern. It stated its intention to keep the file viewer and browser firm in Scotland and to re-establish its product line and working relationships. Khand said: “We believe our overall financial package for the company was by far the best solution to take this business forward while also solving for interested parties, including employees.”

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NEWS

Billing all clicks into place for Ericsson IPX Transactions giant enables ‘one-click to pay’ in-app billing in 15 countries ERICSSON has launched a billing platform it believes will open the floodgates for in-app payments. The solution, released through its Ericsson IPX unit across 60 mobile operators in 15 countries, gives users the option to purchase items transparently without the need to enter any information other than their phone number. Traditionally, users would have to fill out a lengthy form. Authentication is also handled by the operator, making the purchase process simple and fast. Ericsson claims this simplicity delivers purchase completion rates typically 10 to 15 times higher than when a credit card is used on the web. However, the company believes its solution will complement not compete

with established forms of billing. Peter Garside, UK and Ireland director for Ericsson IPX, said: “Millions of people don’t have credit cards, and many who do don’t want to use them when paying for items on a mobile web page. This solution is for them. And it also means that web content can be sold regardless of territory.” With talk of ‘freemium’ models all the rage, and the vast amount of free products making it more and more difficult to sell products on app stores, this is a payments development worth watching. Now, Ericsson is setting its sights on publisher partners, and the sign up of more operators to the system. The firm will charge publishers a fee and take a revenue share from carriers. Garside: Cross operator on-bill payment can supercharge m-commerce

500m go to the Opera THE Opera Mini mobile browser was driving more than 500 million page views a day in September – up 233 per cent year-on-year. This traffic was generated by 32 million active users, itself a rise of 68 per cent from the 19 million in September last year. Opera stressed how much its browser is driving data plan take-up, with the average user downloading 6MB a month. Given that Opera compresses pages by up to 90 per cent, the actual usage is higher. www.opera.com

www.ericsson.com

Handset makers set to jack up JIL Four vendors sign up to make devices for cross-operator widget scheme LG, RIM, Samsung and Sharp have agreed to make handsets compatible with the Joint Innovation Lab (JIL) mobile widgets initiative from early next year. They are the first OEMs to commit to the project globally, and should increase the buzz around the idea. JIL is a joint venture between four operators – Vodafone, Verizon, China Mobile and Softbank – which aims to create a single platform for mobile widgets using open standards. This 6

November 2009

gives developers a potential user base of over a billion. Widgets – dynamic apps that sit on the desktop – can be enhanced when operators let developers embed them with enhancements such as on-bill payment, handset type or location lookup. This is what JIL is trying to do. It has already released its SDK, while Vodafone launched two JILenabled Samsung phones last month. See Voda feature on page 10 www.jil.org

The Brazilians were thrilled with their award for Americo

Grease is the word Short film for Vaseline scoops Mofilm ‘Make An Ad’ award AN ANIMATED film, in which a man’s body grows a mouth, has moisturised its way to a Mofilm prize. The winning entry Stop Ignoring Your Skin was one of

13 chosen by participating brands in Mofilm’s ‘Make An Ad’ contest. Part of the prize was having the film premiered at the London Film Festival last month.

Second was Marco Tessarolo’s The Proposal for McDonalds, while Cesar Nery and Andre Saito’s Americo for Pepsi was third. www.mofilm.com

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WINNER OF

BEST D2C COMPANY ME AWARDS 2009

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR INDUSTRY FRIENDS FOR THEIR SUPPORT

Monetise your

Global TrafямБ c & Generate SERIOUS Revenue

www.playphone.com

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WINDOWS MOBILE

Windows re-opened It might have a new name and a new user interface, but the industry is still to be convinced by Windows Phone. Tim Green examines how the consumer has become the target for Microsoft... ver the last couple of years, there has been much talk about who owns the customer. From Nokia’s stand-off with operators over its various services to Apple’s rejection (initially) of a subsidy model, the big question has been whether users’ loyalty is to the operator or the handset vendor. No one ever mentioned the OS maker. With the latest version of Windows Mobile – Windows Mobile 6.5 or Windows Phone as it’s now called – Microsoft is attempting, for the first time as far as I can see, to make consumers choose their phone on the basis of the operating system. Tough call. I don’t remember Symbian ever straying into the consumer hornet’s nest, although to be fair Android is dipping its toe there. But merely by virtue of hosting a major press conference (at which ‘style’ journalists in skinny jeans tried to distance themselves from stinky

old tech hacks) and throwing millions at primetime TV ads, Microsoft is declaring emphatically that the consumer is its target. Of course, Microsoft does have some in-built advantages when compared to other operating systems. The firm has desktop applications that users – business users in particular – will want to sync across PC and mobile. However, Symbian can’t say the same. And it’s a pretty strong impulse, one that explains why a million users bought an Orange SPV phone even though it was frankly terrible. To be fair to Microsoft, it was humble about its track record on mobile, admitting that only ten per cent of consumers actually know that it is in the mobile business at all, and that it has failed to adapt to the speed of smartphone adoption, the emergence of touchscreens and the rise of the app store. The HTC touch supports Microsoft with its latest version of Windows Mobile

www.mobile-ent.biz

Windows Phone uses a fresh version of Internet Explorer that handles Flash content and shows solid pan and zoom function To this backdrop, the new OS look arrives with some pleasing functions. There is a smart ‘lock’ screen that displays vital information and offers quicker access to phone functions. The touch interface is neat too, with simple upwards and sideways scrolling UI. Meanwhile, there are some excellent added-value extras such as a security feature that means you can call a lost or stolen phone from the web and it will ring even if it’s on silent. There is also a free back-up service that sends data to the cloud without a single click. Browsing should be easier too. Windows Phone uses a fresh version of Internet Explorer that can handle basic Flash content and showcases a solid pan and zoom function. It’s good, but you have to wonder why Microsoft – the big daddy of the browser – took so long to modify for mobile. Finally, all phones from Windows will pre-load

Microsoft’s mobile app store, Marketplace for Mobile, which launches in the UK with around 60 applications, and worldwide with around 250 applications. All good. But some of these extras may bring Microsoft into conflict with partners. What will operators like O2 think of Microsoft’s free MyPhone back-up service when they’re trying to monetise their own? Why should HTC choose Microsoft’s own UI over its own expensively developed interface? Without doubt Microsoft has the clout, the pockets and the will to reclaim some ground in mobile. Thus, it already has support from HTC, LG, Samsung, Toshiba, Sony Ericsson, Orange and Vodafone. However, all of these partners are spreading their bets, with handsets based on Android and Linux too. It could be that Windows Mobile 6.5 is a stop-gap until next year when a far more disruptive Windows Mobile 7 lands. The executives I spoke to alluded to step-changes ahead. But then they would, wouldn’t they? November 2009 9

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VODAFONE 360

Roundabout way of thinking

Vodafone 360 is a landmark idea – the first fully-formed operator response to the app store ‘revolution’. Tim Green asked Vodafone’s Internet Services’ branded content director, Lee Epting, all about it… lthough every operator in the Western world had a WAP storefront offering Java downloads during the middle years of the noughties, it was Vodafone Live that became most synonymous with the idea. It was the biggest and the most heavily marketed. Like all the others, it didn’t really work. Sure, it depends how you measure success and, Voda would certainly construct arguments for why it was pleased with Live! But the fact is, Live is, well, dead. It’s being replaced by Vodafone 360, a new service that chimes so much more harmoniously with the times. It’s about social networking, widgets, open standards, the long tail. Still not quite sure what it is? Here’s the big picture. Vodafone 360 in its purest form can be seen installed in two Samsung devices at launch. Here, all of a customer’s contacts, status updates and messaging services are converged into one rich address book. This is Vodafone’s ‘people service’ linking a person’s phonebook to Twitter, IM, Facebook et al. The integration in the platform means that people service also links to music, photos and mapping services so users can share their favourite music choices and even physical location with their chosen groups of friends. This is all synced to the PC or Mac. To help third party developers grab a piece of what’s happening on the handsets of 360 customers, Vodafone has introduced a widget/app developer programme. This is being run through the Joint Innovation Lab, a consortium of Voda, China Mobile, Verizon and Softbank. Products will be accessible via an app store accessible from within 360 or via a browser.

November 2009

Lee Epting, Vodafone’s Internet Services’ branded content director, talks about the ‘people service’, Vodafone 360

Yes, it’s massive. Or it could be if enough handsets support it and consumers catch on. What does 360 say about Live? What will happen to this service? Whatever you say, there are 30 million Live customers, and 85 per cent of data subscribers use Live. But, the idea is to migrate it to 360. The timeline depends on the territory, but the service will eventually close and it has already been re-branded as My Web in most territories. This will be a destination to offer some of the 360

services through the browser when a download isn’t available.

download. We want 360 to be available to everyone.

360 is a big deal. But there are just two handsets now. Do you think that is enough? Obviously, those two launch devices deliver the best possible 360 experience, but the service is also downloadable to other handsets including a group of Nokia series 60 3.2 phones. And over 100 devices can download the people client. We do have more devices to come and we will actively market the

Including developers. How soon will we see apps? The JIL widget standard is based on W3C so it’s an easy and familiar development tool. This means that there’ll be hundreds of apps soon after launch. Developers can work with their local opcos, but if they’re willing to take into consideration translation and other factors, they will be able to genuinely target a maximum of one billion users. www.mobile-ent.biz

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VODAFONE 360

What’s the rev share? It’s a 70:30 split, although there’ll be a 50:50 arrangement on certain promotional projects. Is 360 a money-maker or more about reducing churn? I’d say it’s a balance of the two. We want to monetise compelling apps and, yes, we do hope that the service will help us acquire new customers. Clearly, people service is the heart of the project. But you’ve unveiled this just when everyone else is making a rich address book. Does that annoy you? I prefer to think of it as a validation of what we’re doing. There’s been a good reception so far. But what’s really exciting is the stuff that comes next. We’re really relying here on the creativity of developers to make great, useful applications. Give me an example. That’s really their job. But once you have access to a rich address book and the music library, then maybe you could do something with birthdays. Like I say, it’s over to developers. So much has been said about the headlock between operators and handset companies with their competing content services. Do you think your overtures will be rejected? Personally, I can’t see why anyone wouldn’t work with us on 360. It’s not prohibitive.

The other area of friction is competing apps – like Skype or Google Voice or even an app storefront… We’ve no problem with VoIP apps as long as the right data plan is in place. We’re not really looking to have third party app storefronts in our shop.

The Samsung H1 is preloaded with Vodafone 360

Are you going to ban adult apps like Apple has done? No. We take the same stance on apps and widgets as we took on Vodafone Live downloads. We have compulsory age verification, so we don’t preclude adult or gambling services as long as they meet our guidelines. Clearly on-bill payment is a big advantage for operators. What about in-app billing? Is that available? Obviously, this is important and the plan is to make it available in the new year. It has actually been built into some showcase services at launch. One example is with Deutsche Telecom, which lets users buy a code that substitutes for a stamp. Finally, a vital component: customer care. Are you ready? Customer care is at the forefront of our thoughts. We recognise the importance of in-store set-up, so we’ve worked hard on that. Obviously, the third party element makes it interesting. There’s a loop process where the developer gets notified because ultimately it’s their transaction, but the policy is a refund for unhappy customers.

Vodafone 360 is... A ‘3D’ connected address book – Vodafone People, open to everyone on any network. It syncs all contacts from a customer’s phone, Facebook, Windows Live Messenger and Google Talk, and will soon include Twitter, Hyves and studiVZ. A set of services that gathers all of a customer’s friends, communities, entertainment and personal favourites (like music, games, photos and video) in one place. A suite of content including apps, games, music and mapping services accessible from the app or browser. A developer programme run by JIL and based around W3C protocols.

The handsets

The roll-out

The Vodafone 360 H1 by Samsung has a 3.5-inch multi-touch hi-def OLED screen, 16GB memory, wi-fi and five megapixel camera. The 360 H1 and M1 run the LiMo operating system. At launch four Nokia Symbian devices will be pre-loaded with Vodafone 360, ten can download it and 100 more can download part or all of the service.

The 2009 launch in Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the UK will be followed by launches in a number of other countries in 2010. These include India, Turkey, South Africa, New Zealand, Romania, France through SFR, Russia through MTS, and through Vodafone Hutchison in Australia.

www.mobile-ent.biz

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MUSIC ALLY

Turn the

Can apps come to the rescue of a mobile music scene losing interest in ringtones and disenchanted with full-track downloads? Music Ally’s Nik Miscov thinks so...

music app round a decade ago the ringtone emerged to define the first age of mobile music. It was nice while it lasted, but the market is in decline. Unfortunately, the fulltrack download, which many hoped would fill the void left by ringtone, has failed to take up the slack. Without doubt, mobile music has not flourished as expected and the last few years have been disappointing. At Music Ally, we compiled a report that analysed mobile music trends in 14 key markets across Europe, USA, Asia, and Latin America. Based on the assumption that over the next three years these trends would persist (Europe declining by 6.4 per cent, US by 9.8 per cent, and Latin America growing by 7.9 per cent), we predict the global mobile income derived by labels will decline in 2011 by 11.4 per cent. That equals a slide of $164 million from $1,439.5 million in 2008 to $1,274.9 million in 2012. On the face of it, that’s alarming. However our research suggests a silver lining in the form of mobile apps. We believe they can offset the decline in traditional mobile music formats and start a third wave of growth following the SMS and then the ringtone booms of the last decade. In saturated western markets, the explosion of apps and smartphones has massive potential to grow mainstream mobile content industries. In the last year, we’ve seen an encouraging wave of innovation in the music apps space, with some products directly monetising music through streaming and gaming, and others fuelling sales of online and ‘real world’ products. Here are a few examples:

Rekords This app, made by Japanese music label Delaware, uses a virtual vinyl record user interface to stream songs. Users can switch the ‘disc’ from side A to B by flipping their iPhone. 12

November 2009

Music Ally’s Nik Miscov (top right), rock band Presidents of the United States of America (bottom right) and a shopper streaming music

nuTsie This service lets users listen to playlists from their iTunes libraries, but also builds its own recommended lists of best tracks from specific genres. Tap Tap No doubt the most successful of all iPhone apps. It lets users buy and tap along to a selection of songs. With version three just launched, there are 50 paid bundles of music inside the game costing $2.99 per six-pack. Artists such as Blink 182, Fall Out Boy and Foo Fighters are signed up. iLike Like Tap Tap, iLike has succeeded in establishing itself as a significant

brand. It’s a social media app that lets people share their music tastes. On mobile it has complemented its core service with the Local Concerts app, which lists upcoming shows in a user’s area and provides links to buy tickets. It’s a fine example of an app that aids ‘real world’ music sales. Streamed albums Dave Dederer, singer with The Presidents of the United States of America, is now a VP at Melodeo (which makes nuTsie) where he has launched a three dollar app for iPhone containing the four Presidents albums and exclusive material. It’s being watched as a possible new format for the future.

Spotify No introduction needed. Spotify sees mobile as key to growing its premium subscription play. So what’s the potential impact of apps? Based on modest assumptions, we project 69 million music app users will generate a monthly ARPU of $1.20 by 2011. This could help labels rake in $630 million. It’s encouraging, and we’re confident that apps can reverse the decline in ‘traditional’ mobile music formats in the West, while accelerating growth in developing markets. For details of the Music Ally report please phone +44 (0) 207 420 4320 or email anthony@musically.com

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ADULT CONTENT

Maturation point? Apps, micro-payments, North America… the mobile adult business has a lot to grapple with. Mobile Entertainment canvassed opinion from industry figures Mike Falco and Julia Dimambro…

Julia Dimambro

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The US porn industry is worth $12bn, but the US and Canadian operators still don’t permit adult content on their networks. Will this change? Mike Falco: Eventually, as long as content is monitored and ageverified. My guess is that we’ll have to wait till 2011. It’ll be like pay-per view porn on cable and satellite TV. As competition grew, those companies were forced to meet the high demand for porn, and eventually it became a ‘normal’ aspect of TV. Also, the operators have no choice. They are helpless to control the consumer’s urge to access the mobile web and therefore mobile porn. Our site, myiPlayground.com, is formatted for the mobile web with a directory of hundreds of quality mobile porn sites that work on various devices. Julia Dimambro: At a personal guess, I get the impression they probably won’t ever allow hardcore content on their networks. American culture is just too expansive and varied. It would be like all European countries allowing it, which hasn’t happened in over eight years, despite many

advances in attitude and technology. US carriers’ brand values have to stretch across a range of cultures and public opinion, they prefer to keep the brand safe. Remember Janet Jackson? A total scandal there because one nipple popped out. That said, I firmly believe that sexy glamour will eventually permeate the decks. Popular culture is full of the stuff. Nothing that we currently distribute at ‘bikini level’ comes anywhere near many of today’s popvideos in terms of sexual content. It all comes down to positioning. Compare Vodafone UK and Telus. Vodafone built a world-class age verification system and started with softcore content. It created a public image of a responsible, pro-active operator. Telus also built a good system, but it kept it as quiet as possible, as if it was hoping that noone would notice. When they did, there was a huge public outcry. Apple still doesn’t allow adult apps. Can you see a change of policy? Mike Falco: I believe that open source apps are the future. Since Apple will not accept adult apps,

many will create and sell them for Android open source phones. If so, I believe Apple will adjust its strategy and the floodgates will open. I think that Apple should have a specific section that requires proof of age and sub-contract it to another organisation so the Apple brand is not directly associated with porn apps. Julia Dimambro: There’s not much doing with apps as yet. Not much point as we are focused on immediate ROI. How can adult providers circumvent restrictions by building mobile web sites? Mike Falco: A user can already find mobile porn with great ease. That said, I do not believe that all adult providers want to circumvent restrictions. At this point, the mobile web has the same restrictions as the ‘regular’ web. Our duty as porn webmasters is to stay away from illegal content, and keep porn away from minors. It doesn’t benefit anyone in our industry to have minors access this content What’s the best way to charge for adult? November 2009 15

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ADULT CONTENT

Mike Falco: Micro-payments, credit card and on-bill are all available depending on the geographical location. In North America, credit cards are widely used, but on-bill payment is generally not accepted. The European operators are more lenient towards on-bill and micro payments. One such European market is Spain. Julia Dimambro: What I find interesting is how billing affects consumption. About 80 per cent of mobile adult sales in the UK are onbill or via PSMS, but barely 20 per cent of them are on subscription, because of the old ringtone backlash. In the US, it’s all subscription, because it doesn’t make sense to keep entering your credit card details for single downloads. Surely micro-payments are tailor made for mobile porn… Julia Dimambro: They are a perfect match because they are noncommittal and allow for impulse purchasing. Signing up to a monthly subscription can make customers feel like they are officially ‘porn consumers’, which is something many shy away from. Micro-payments let them ‘dip their toe in’ and purchase on impulse. As arousal is normally impulsive, it’s perfect for mobile. How are major adult brands performing on mobile? Is it easier and more profitable to sell niche content? Julia Dimambro: I’ve been saying it for years: consumers simply do not buy brands. They buy what turns them on. This is where the money is. Nearly every operator is asking for categories and themes. After six years, not one has seen the commercial return they were promised from brands. Fortunately, some have recognised this. Mike Falco: We promote hundreds of brands from a variety of sites. 2009 has been a record year and a lot of major adult brands regard mobile as the new star in their portfolios. But demand for niche product will grow. Nothing sells like original, high quality content geared towards a consumer’s specific tastes or fetishes. Downloadable web porn is under threat from free UGC sites, which means that live chat/webcam stuff is the best hope for making money. Is this coming to mobile too? 16

November 2009

What’s the future for mobile erotic content? At the moment it looks as though live video chat and webcams may be the killer apps

Mike Falco: This is a great point. UGC has definitely changed the game, and will force many porn companies to innovate or die. This is not the web of 1996. My belief is that the future of mobile porn is in sites with original niche content, UGC, live chat/webcam and dating. Julia Dimambro: It’s true that free porn has come to the web. Will the same happen on mobile? I think compelling ‘erotic environments’ will maintain a paid-for commercial model with a base of loyal customers. These non-immersive ‘shop-front’ download stores won’t because there will be so much content out there for free.

So what kind of content should mobile adult companies focus on? Julia Dimambro: Mobile erotic entertainment should never be a rehash of what has gone before. In 2003, we invented a video product shot in first person that gave viewers the chance to chat up one of two girls and be charged to see what happened next. Purchasing erotica is

an emotional decision, not a practical one, so this gives great leverage in ‘seducing a customer’ to a purchase. Generally, live video chat and webcams are the killer apps for mobile. The commercial potential is just incredible compared to other content types. I have heard the average monthly spend for a customer using video chat is $37.

Julia Dimambro is founder and MD of Cherry Media, which creates and manages mobile adult content for operators and other third parties. Mike Falco is director of marketing at myiPlayground.com. Ir contains a searchable directory that lists mobile-modified adult sites and services. www.mobile-ent.biz

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APP STORES

APPS

upside their heads The shift from carrier decks to app stores has turned game publishers’ strategies upside down, Stuart Dredge reports... ou have to feel for Glu Mobile. It became one of the top three mobile games publishers by spending big on brands, porting the resulting games to a huge selection of handsets, and running big-budget comarketing campaigns with operators to secure deck placement. It was an effective strategy, tailored for the market at the time. Then Apple launched its App Store. Glu found itself in an environment where its porting skills weren’t an advantage, where featured slots were entirely down to Apple’s editorial whims, and where brands simply weren’t as important. Not to mention the fact that Glu didn’t have the rights to bring many of its big brands to iPhone in the first place. Glu isn’t the only mobile games company to face a challenging transition to the App Store world. Its big rivals from the carrier days have done okay – Gameloft ploughed resources into iPhone early and has reaped the rewards, while EA Mobile is benefitting from its in-house megabrands, launching FIFA and Madden onto iPhone in the last month alone. But mid-tier mobile games publishers have faced the same challenges as Glu. Chumming up with carrier games managers is out, and clever, nimble social media marketing is in. ‘Will-this-do’ games based on movies and TV shows are out, and creative, imaginative and innovative games are in. And instead of competing against a restricted number of publishers handpicked by the operators, the

Chumming up with carrier games managers is out, and clever, nimble social media marketing is in

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APP STORES

Games for the iPhone now have to be more creative and innovative than ever before. Glu Mobile’s transition to this App Store world is set to be a challenge

competition now includes thousands of independent developers, social games firms, casual games publishers, console studios... even the movie studios are gearing up (again) for inhouse games production. Ironically, it’s into this ferocious competitive environment that several mid-tier publishers have opted to throw themselves, abandoning the carrier decks. THQ Wireless has refocused its energies on smartphone platforms – particularly iPhone. Rumours this month suggested Hands-On Mobile might be shifting to a twin focus on iPhone and Facebook games too. A lot is said about the potential rewards for iPhone hits, but not so much about the risks. It might seem like a respite from the ever-shrinking carrier ecosystem, but penalties for failure on the App Store are severe. Publishers used to be able to forecast revenues from their games with some accuracy, based on their negotiated operator deck placement. Pay x for a brand and spend y on porting, and you’d be fairly sure of making z revenues unless something went drastically wrong (usually a biz dev 20

November 2009

VP ill-advisedly paying four times x for the brand). On iPhone, there are no such guarantees. A publisher can spend a lot of money making a game, a good game too, yet see it sink without trace. This is as true, of course, for independent developers as for midtier publishers. The latter at least doesn’t risk going out of business due to one expensive dud. The key, it seems, is for publishers to mitigate their risk by not placing all their eggs in iPhone’s basket. For some – Glu included – that means investing resources in the emerging

market of social games on Facebook and other social networks. Not only does this open up potential new revenue streams from advertising and virtual item sales, but the experience of both those business models may be useful back on iPhone. Then there are the rival smartphone platforms. Android Market, BlackBerry App World, Windows and Nokia’s Ovi Store may have various shortcomings, but they are looking increasingly important to the traditional mobile games publishers. It’s partly because there is less competition on those platforms, which itself is partly due to the porting issue rearing its head again. Don’t forget the carriers too, who are readying their own app stores and keen to woo reliable companies to stock them. However, there’s no denying the cultural shift that’s been sparked by iPhone and the App Store. ME visited Glu Mobile recently for demos of its upcoming range of iPhone games. Only one was a branded title, based on World Series of Poker.

The others were a mixture of cheap’n’cheerful casual games (not an insult) designed to retail for $0.99 / £0.59, and innovative titles stretching iPhone’s music and location capabilities. In other words, the third largest mobile games publisher in the West is having to re-engineer itself to think more like an independent developer. The 99-cent strategy is interesting, too, because it’s a path being followed by Glu’s biggest rivals. EA Mobile created a dedicated ‘micro-studio’ called 8lb Gorilla earlier this year, specifically to make 99-cent games at arm’s length from the EA brand. Gameloft, too, has dipped its toes in these waters with the release of topical tower defense game Banker Wars. All three companies – as well as their mid-tier rivals – are also getting to grips with social media: Twitter feeds, YouTube previews, Facebook promotion, and engaging with a much wider base of bloggers than the handful of websites that covered the mobile games space regularly in the past. Consolidation in the mobile games market used to be about big firms prospering at the expense of their smaller rivals. Now it’s about whether the big firms can survive in the face of renewed competition from the companies they’d squeezed out of the carrier portals. It’s evolution, but not as we know it. www.mobile-ent.biz

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op - 315x230mmw_MWC.ai

CMY

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BINBIT

Binbit has high-profile licences in its portfolio, such as Playboy, EMI, Warner and others

Expanding a Bit Mexico’s Binbit has grown steadily to become one of the world’s largest D2C companies. Mobile Entertainment talks to its chairman, Antoni Muntaner, about what the future holds… if the right opportunity comes along. We did so last year with the acquisition of Atinco, too. Basically, we had our sights on South East Asia as the first step in our expansion into the wider Asia market, and Acme has excellent reach.

he eclipse of the personalisation sector in ‘mature’ mobile markets has put the emphasis on developing regions and meant that most of the European leaders in the space – Buongiorno, Zed, Neomobile and so on – are now facing outwards to Asia, Africa and Latin America. However, it’s also meant that companies based in these emerging territories have been able to expand to global proportions. One of the outstanding examples of this is Binbit. Binbit is headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico and now has presence in 26 different countries, mostly across Central and South America. It came to the attention of the wider industry when it bought South African firm Atinco to signal its first move into an English speaking country. Then, just weeks ago, it acquired Singapore-based Acme Mobile to secure distribution across Asia. We chatted with Binbit chairman Antoni Muntaner:

The market for ‘personalisation’ products is declining in Europe. Is it the same in central and Latin America? Generally, Latin America is a little behind what is being done in Europe and America in this industry, so the market is still healthy. At Binbit, we focus on local products and services, which has been a great factor in our success and helps us respond to regional changes. In fact, we recently passed the one billion content sales mark. www.mobile-ent.biz

Any plans to move into the European market? To date our presence in Europe has been virtually nil. It’s always been on our ‘to do’ list though, and we have a plan to move into various Eastern Europe countries soon. Sometimes we’d like to be able to grow faster but we bet on organic growth to keep us as a private company. We don’t have infinite resources to invest and expand into new markets. That said, to have achieved a stable business presence in 26 countries in just four years is something we’re rightfully very proud of.

MUNTANER: “Achieving a stable presence in just four years is something we’re proud of”

Can you tell me a little about the Mexican market? The market has got huge potential, with 50 million subscribers. But it has undergone many changes in the last four years – the same changes that have affected most European countries as they reached maturity. Essentially, users are looking for more than downloading ringtones and games, which means companies like ours are migrating to different business models.

Is all your business D2C, or do you work with operators? In the vast majority of the cases it’s still D2C, although we are analysing new markets. We’re in quite a good position because we have connectivity with 85 mobile operators. Why did you buy the Asian distributor Acme? We’ve always had a policy of territorial expansion and we’ll invest

Does Binbit make original content? We have our own design team but many of the products we produce are based around third party brands like Playboy, EMI, Warner, Sony, THQ and others. Any plans for the app business? We have just launched our first application, called Rednews. It aggregates celebrity news and gossip from around the world, and is working already on BlackBerry, iPhone, Android and Ovi. There are three more similar projects in production. November 2009 23

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M&A

Shut up and deal Has investor confidence returned to the twitching corpse that is the mobile M&A scene? New figures suggest it may have done. ME shares them… t’s a cliché, but VCs, big corporates and other investors display a herdlike behaviour. Although these guys are fearsomely bright, they’d admit this is the case: You want to keep your job? Do what everyone else is doing. And in the years leading up to 2007, what they were doing was buying mobile media start-ups. According to new figures from investment bank GP Bullhound, M&A activity in mobile media rose from $947 million in 2005 to $2,320 million in 2007. It’s a staggering rise, inflated by landgrab deals such the purchase of iTouch and Monstermob by Buongiorno and Zed, respectively, for example. Then what happened? In a word: downturn. Activity slowed up and the value of transactions fell to $647 million in 2008. Interestingly, valuations fell faster than deals. The $2.3 billion in 2007 accrued from 98 deals, but the $947 million came from 79. The majority of transactions were valued at below $15 million. However, as we all know, something big is happening in mobile now. iPhone, data plans, 3G, emerging markets, micropayments – all have conspired to put the focus back on mobile content. And as the wider economy recovers, so M&A confidence has returned to the space. November 2009

Year

No of transactions

2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Jan to Sept 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Jan to Sept 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Transactions value Value of transactions $ million . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .947 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,899 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,320 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .647 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .340 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .603

Distribution of deals in 2009

Madhvani: “We’ll see more acquisitions”

According to GP Bullhound, the first nine months of 2008 generated $340 million from 59 deals, while the corresponding months of 2009 yielded $603 million from 63 deals. More advanced mobile corporates have completed five deals valued at over $50 million in 2009. These include some of the biggest companies in mobile, with Nokia swooping for Obopay, Cellity, Dopplr and Oz, while Vodafone purchased Zyb and Wayfinder. Manish Madhvani, co-founder of GP Bullhound, believes activity is set to continue upwards: “Most recent deals have been below $15m, with strategic players laying foundations in the market. We see this as phase one. But as global markets recover confidence, we’ll see more large-scale acquisitions.”

Value of transaction No of transactions $0 to $2.5m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 $2.5m to $5m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 $5m to $10m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 $10m to $15m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 $15m to $20m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 $20m to $50m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 $50m to $100m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 $100m to $200m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Breakdown of M&A transactions by sector (2009) % Pureplay content companies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Comms software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 E-commerce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Device manufacturers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Source: GP Bullhound www.mobile-ent.biz

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SMART PIPE ENABLERS

Pipe dreaming Operators can add all sorts of value when off-deck content providers use their networks. If only they could agree technical standards and price points. Enter the MEF and its ‘smart pipe enablers’ initiative… t’s a question as old as time. Well, it dates back to when operators began offering data services, anyway. And it’s this: are wireless carriers destined to become ‘dumb pipes’ for carrying, but not sharing in, the value of mobile entertainment? With handset makers building app stores and consumers gravitating around non-mobile brands such as Facebook and Twitter, the debate has intensified in the last 18 months. But could there be an alternative future? Could operators evolve into ‘smart pipes’, accruing revenue by adding genuine value to the data services they sell to partners? The Mobile Entertainment Forum thinks so. Its chair Andrew Bud could be accused of having a bit of a fixation on this issue. But he has a point, namely, that the rush to data services is putting unsustainable pressure on mobile networks. They can’t afford to carry that much data. And unless they find a way to monetise the traffic, we’ll all suffer. In his MEF role, Bud is pushing hard a project designed to publicise the issue and kick around some potential solutions. It’s called the Smart Pipe Enabler initiative. The MEF has run webinars and workshops on the issue, and plans to define technical and commercial standards around the various enablers. So, what the hell are these enablers? Well, some are wellestablished. Operators already sell bulk SMS and on-bill payment – both of which add value to a third party using the network. But the MEF argues that there’s more that can be done in areas that exploit operators’ knowledge of their customers without comprising privacy. They include: Handset type lookup Billing status (prepay/postpay lookup) Charge advice (i.e. will this charge request succeed?) Price plan lookup

November 2009

There’s cash in them there wires. These beauties hold the key to the future of mobile data

Data price plan lookup 3G/2G handset lookup 3G/2G SIM lookup Roaming lookup (is the customer abroad? If yes what country?) Handset configuration check (does it have the correct settings?) Bud says: “I’m convinced smart pipe enablers could perform open heart surgery on a $32billion industry. We’ve seen the help they can be already with shortcodes, which would have been 11 digits long without industry agreement. “The trouble is that the dialogue has been operator technologists talking to web developers – plumbers talking to geeks – when really it’s the

content industry that needs to be aware of the issue.” Bud is at pains to point out that the technical specs of the APIs themselves are not necessarily the most important thing. Agreed price points, for example, would make a significant difference to the content market. Indeed, work on technical standards is already proceeding within the GSMA’s One API initiative. The MEF says it sees this as a complementary project. Bud explains why: “The GSMA speaks for operators and its focus is technical. It’s far more likely that a company such as Sony Pictures would engage

with the MEF than the GSMA,” he says. So far the MEF has published a white paper on the subject of Smart Pipe Enablers and held two webinars to discuss the issue. It believes it can implement some of its proposals in 18 to 24 months. And at all times the focus will be on making an ‘everybody wins’ business case. Bud says ultimately this is the clincher: “There has to be a business case or there won’t be investment. If we show operators an $8bllion opportunity, it’s going to help.” Go to www.mef.org/initiatives /enablers for more information. www.mobile-ent.biz

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RECRUITMENT

SENIOR LEVEL SEARCH SPECIALISTS

2ergo flies in MEF stalwart and former Livewire exec John Orlando

If you are looking for senior level search specialists, focussing on positions ranging from £60,000 to £250,000 look no further. CALL ANDREW NICHOLLS DIRECTLY ON

07830 116121 Telephone: +44 207 404 6699 Web: www.digimobjobs.com

JOHN ORLANDO

CTO Mobile Entertainment London – Excellent basic equity

Mobile Sales Account Manager Mobile Ad Network London – Excellent basic bonus

Product Manager Mobile Ad Network London – Excellent basic bonus

Technical Lead Mobile Agency

UK transactions specialist 2ergo has made a significant appointment – recruiting JOHN ORLANDO as its new MD of Americas as part of its ambitious global growth drive. It’s charged John with spearheading 2ergo’s expansion across the Americas. Orlando’s most recent role was CMO at music specialist Livewire Mobile, but he is a highly visible figure on the worldwide mobile scene thanks to his work for the MEF, as vice chair of the Americas chapter. MARKO AHTISAARI is to run Nokia’s design and consumer experience unit. It’s a logical appointment given that Ahtissari was formerly the CEO of Dopplr, the location-based social network that Nokia purchased earlier this year. He will work on integrating location and UI. Swiss technology firm Myriad Group has recruited BENOIT SCHILLINGS as CTO to lead technology strategy and innovation. It’s quite a coup as he was previously chief technologist at Nokia, which he joined following Nokia’s acquisition of Trolltech. Myriad recently announced a widget platform for low-end devices.

London – Excellent package

J2ME Developer Mobile Music London – Excellent package

Bluestreak Technology has apppointed SAMUEL SWEET as EVP of sales and

looking to further your career in the Mobile and Digital markets? VISIT OUR WEBSITE for a full list of our current opportunities.

November 2009

MARKO AHTISAARI

marketing. He arrives with 13 years of experience in global technology sales and market development, and is tasked with taking Bluestreak’s Flashbased solutions worldwide. Out There Media’s expansion continues with the appointment of ALPHA B BARRY to the position of CFO. He joins the ad provider from McKinsey and Company in Berlin, where he was associate principal. Before joining the venerated management consultancy, he cofounded 4Flow AG, a logistics software provider and consultancy. App testing and certification specialist DeviceAnywhere has promoted LEILA MODARRES to VP of marketing. She was previously director of marketing, and will now lead the marketing and communications team in this expanded role. Mobile Streams has a new CFO. He is IAN BREWER, who has held several senior finance positions in tech companies, including Symphony Telecom and Eckoh. Brewer started his career as an audit manager at Deloitte and is a qualified chartered accountant. Mobile Streams also confirmed that non-executive director IVAN DONN

Does your firm have a position to fill? If so, you should advertise on the appointments page that’s read by everyone in the content business: yes, this one. We also offer a complementary online service. Either way, every exec in the business will be reading about your vacancy. Contact Katy Grant at Katy.Grant@intentmedia.co.uk or +44 (0)1992 535647 for more info. www.mobile-ent.biz

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