MTV appeals to mobile consumers via "Bananas"

MTV announced a partnership with mobile management solutions provider Motricity to launch "Bananas," the cable network's first branded wireless content subscription service. The cross-carrier, direct-to-consumer platform will initially focus on ringtones from major label partners as well as sounds, wallpapers and graphics from original MTV Networks series including "Laguna Beach," "The Real World" and "The Hills."

"MTV has stronger penetration into the 13-to-24-year-old market than any other television brand," Motricity CEO Ryan Wuerch said in an interview with FierceMobileContent. "If you've watched MTV in the past, you've seen a number of ads for wireless carriers. With 'Bananas,' MTV will now capture that revenue source for itself."

The "Bananas" announcement follows just days after MTV announced [1] the formation of its Mobile Media Group division, created to develop MTV content and brands for wireless applications and services. The group will manage mobile activities within MTV Networks' various cable channels (e.g., Nickelodeon, VH1 and Comedy Central) and among its domestic and foreign operations.

The "Bananas" site is currently available via Cingular, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile, Motricity said, with plans to debut on the Verizon Wireless network in the first quarter of 2007. "'Bananas' capitalizes on MTV's relationship with consumers--it's a brand they trust," Wuerch said. "MTV shifted music culture: it enables consumers to discover and learn more about music. By offering them the opportunity to buy that content at the moment of discovery, we can create an experience unlike any other."

For more on Bananas:
- read this release [2]

Related articles:
- MTV drops [3] Atom bomb
- MTV's first multiplatform talent contract [4]