Verisign

ALSO NOTED: O2 debuts mobile advertising service; Mandalay completes Twistbox acquisition; and much more...

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 06:59:53 -0500

> O2 debuts mobile advertising service. Article

> Mandalay completes Twistbox acquisition. Article

> VeriSign: 2.2 billion mobile messages will be sent this Valentine's Day. Release

And finally… RIP Kon Ichikawa. Article

Hood relinquishes Jamba/Fox Mobile helm

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Lucy Hood, CEO of mobile multimedia provider Jamba and president of Fox Mobile Entertainment, announced her resignation Wednesday after more than a decade with parent News Corp. Jamba COO Lee Fenton will assume Hood's duties until a new CEO is named. Hood spearheaded the 2005 launch of Fox Mobile Entertainment, and was instrumental in developing the mobisode format before taking the reins at Jamba, a joint venture between News Corp. and VeriSign. In a statement, Hood said she is "eager to pursue more entrepreneurial ventures [and] looking forward to the next opportunity."

For more on Hood's exit:
- read this release

Related article:
Jamba launching Simpsons D2C content
Spotlight: Interview with Fox's Lucy Hood
Content kingpins call for simplicity, better UI

ALSO NOTED: AT&T temporarily suspends parental controls following 911 problems; VeriSign, ClairMail team on mobile banking; and

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:59:53 -0400

> AT&T temporarily suspends parental controls following 911 problems. Article

> VeriSign, ClairMail team on mobile banking. Release

> Global Mobile Technologies launches Push-It Alert. Release

And finally… Drunk driver tries to outrun cops on a tractor. Article

C&L: XM, Fox, Crisp and Airborne bulk up on new staffers

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 20:01:30 -0400

Vernon Irvin, former EVP and GM of VeriSign, has been named Chief Marketing Officer for XM Satellite Radio.

Fox Mobile Entertainment appointed Andrew Stalbow to Vice President, International.

Mobile content management and delivery company Crisp Wireless has appointed Jeremy Toback as vice president of entertainment sales for the company.

Mobile application publisher Airborne Entertainment has hired Kimberly Senn as Vice President of Product Development.

VeriSign posts $78M in MoCo revenue

Fri, 21 Apr 2006 11:44:08 -0400

VeriSign's mobile content group posted $78 million in revenues for its first quarter, and while it's no shocker since the company forecasted $70 million to $75 million for the quarter, the figure is still remarkably lower than its $114 million in revenue last quarter. Part of the decrease comes from the SMS and MMS unit's move to the company's communications and commerce group, which would have added an additional $15 million in revenue for the quarter. Still, the content group said the spiral will continue next quarter, which should bring in about $65 million in revenue. After that, the company expects its acquisition of m-Qube to bolster revenue, and by the third quarter the unit should be back in shape. The conference call also made it clear that VeriSign paid about four to five times the expected 2006 net revenue of m-Qube at acquisition, which some insiders say is rather high. Deals with Verizon and at least one BREW-based MVNO should also help the company moving forward.

For more on VeriSign's Q1:
- see this conference call transcript from SeekingAlpha.com

SPOTLIGHT: VeriSign launches mobile content backup

Thu, 06 Apr 2006 12:40:56 -0400

VeriSign launched a mobile data backup service today with Cincinnati Bell coming on as its first client for the service. VeriSign Backup Plus will initially feature over-the-air back up of contacts initially, but later this year the service will back up mobile calendars, pictures, and video and audio content. Release

DEALS: VeriSign buying m-Qube for $250M

Wed, 29 Mar 2006 19:01:38 -0500

DEALS
WHO	WITH	WHAT	SCOOP
VeriSign	m-Qube	VeriSign to acquire m-Qube for $250M	All rumors pointed to Motricity, but VeriSign ended up with the winning bid. Analysts previously railed on VeriSign's mobile unit, with one even calling it a "disaster."
Fandango, Crisp Wireless	Cingular	Crisp helped Fandango launch movie ticket service for Cingular subs	The partnership follows a similar announcement between Fandango, Crisp and Sprint.
Vocel	Random House, HIT Entertainment	The firms bring 'Thomas the Tank Engine' to mobiles	Netflix aside, parents could equate the $3.99 price tag with that of a movie rental and rationalize it that way.
Openwave	Telus	Openwave's Musiwave powering Telus' new mobile music service	Each song download will cost C$2.49, which includes the data fee of C$0.50 and also includes two copies: one for the phone and one for the PC.
Baidu	Nokia	Baidu, Nokia to offer Chinese mobile search service	Baidu is a leading search engine in China, which is a difficult service to provide given the nature of the language. The mobile service is now in beta and free for download in mainland China.
MSN	3	MSN, 3 to provide mobile blogging service for subs of SeeMeTV	SeeMeTV is a mobile channel that shows and pays for customer-created content.

VeriSign to scoop up m-Qube for $250M

Sun, 19 Mar 2006 19:01:39 -0500

Seems there was some truth to my gossip column two weeks ago: VeriSign has agreed to acquire m-Qube for a cool $250 million "net of cash," or after cash already on hand at m-Qube. m-Qube is a MoCo enabler that helps brands develop and sell mobile content and messaging services. m-Qube claims to reach more than 200 million wireless subscribers in North America and has already powered mobile storefronts and marketing campaigns for customers including Sony Pictures, CBS, Major League Baseball, Warner Music Group and Reuters.

Last week, analysts railed on VeriSign's mobile unit, with one even calling it a "disaster." Insiders recently told me m-Qube was low on cash and that an acquisition was likely. The addition of m-Qube to VeriSign's mobile unit should perk things up for the company. VeriSign recently acquired wireless applications service provider 3united and Kontiki, which specializes in managed peer delivery systems for video and digital content.

For more on VeriSign's acquisition of m-Qube:
- see this press release

ALSO: Don't be confused by reports of Product Development Technologies buying "MQube Design" on Friday. Purely a coincidence of names--separate deal, different companies. Article

Analyst: VeriSign's MoCo biz a 'disaster'

Thu, 02 Mar 2006 19:01:38 -0500

According to American Technology Research analyst Albert Lin, the flattening in revenue from VeriSign's ringtone business does not bode well for the company's mobile content unit, since ringtones account for 90 percent of the unit's revenue. Lin said that although the market for ringtones will continue to explode, the revenues will decline and eventually disappear as users learn to create their own ringtones. Lin suggested the company should get out of the ringtone business. Lin's comments are a bit heavy-handed, but regardless, VeriSign's knows all this too well. I've heard quite a few people say: "Everybody knows VeriSign's mobile content business is for sale." I've also heard that Motricity is taking a look. Just the rumor mill doing what it does best.

For more on VeriSign's MoCo woes:
- take a look at this article from RCRNews