MTV partners with international mobile operators to launch apps targeting millennials
Viacom-owned MTV has partnered with a number of global mobile network operators for the launch of two new video and digital music apps; MTV Play and MTV Trax.
The apps have been offered to operators as part of exclusive brand licensing agreements to help them better target the valuable millennial market.
Bob Bakish, president and chief executive of Viacom, said: “MTV is one of the hottest entertainment brands in the minds of 16 to 24-year-old mobile users, with the majority of online engagement with the MTV brand now coming through mobile devices.
“Today’s launch of the MTV Play and MTV Trax apps offers operators an enormous opportunity to differentiate themselves and reward consumer loyalty by offering greater value through premium branded content and services targeting young customers who aren’t currently subscribing to pay TV.”
MTV Play is compatible with all common operating systems and enables consumers to ‘flick’ content from their smartphone to other connected screens, such as a tablet or smart TV.
Bakish claimed an “industry-first multiscreen experience” with the app, adding that it makes MTV’s library of more than 1,500 hours content easier to discover, control or share.
Developed by Vigour, it will launch next week (5 March) with mobile network partners in Germany, Switzerland and Romania. Subscribers to MTV Mobile branded tariffs with these operators will get free access to the app, while other consumers in those countries will be able to directly access content for €2.99 per month.
Meanwhile MTV Trax aims to offer consumers an alternative to “higher price tariffs and the complexity of 'all you can eat’ streaming services” with an app that offers curated music which can be downloaded and updated daily.
Bakish said it the app will target casual music fans who want music in an easy, flexible and low-risk way.
“It’s easy for the end user, because MTV’s experts curate all the music, and it’s easy for mobile network operators, allowing them to offer a premium branded entertainment product to their pre-pay customers with flexible and affordable pricing,” he added.
It will also launch as a direct-to-consumer subscription service in the UK next month (3 March), available through the App Store, Google Play or Windows Phone Store.
For further insight on the media habits of millennial check out Bauer Knowledge: The Millennials Chapter.