TV5 AND SMART JOINS FORCES TO RIVAL ABS-CBN MOBILE!

MANILA - As rivals roll out their convergence tack, TV5 and Smart Communications Inc plan to launch their mobile platform next year.

On the sidelines of the Mobile Festival 2013, TV5 president Emmanuel C. Lorenzana today said the company would use mobile phones to expand its advertising footprint. 

"We want to enhance the whole viewing experience. Basically we're using mobile capability to actually make people enjoy the ads because it's a holistic experience," Lorenzana told reporters. 

He said the new platform will be offered as a "bucket" promo to attract more advertisers to place ads in TV5. 

"It's a bucket. You have to remember [that] we have the most touch points. It's up to us to actually converge that. It will benefit everybody— Smart, TV5, and subscribers,” Lorenzana said. 

TV5 and Smart Communications Inc are members of the PLDT group, which at end-September had a telecom subscriber base of 76 million. 

The country's TV networks and telecom companies are on a race to create synergies from the convergence of different media platforms.

ABS-CBN has been offering its "I Want TV" service, which provides mobile subscribers access to the broadcast firm's TV content. Last week, the Lopez-led network also launched its mobile SIM in a partnership with Globe Telecom Inc.

GMA Network Inc meanwhile has been in discussions with both PLDT and Globe for the possible delivery of the broadcast firm's content to the two telcos' subscribers.

Hans Roxas-Chua, co-chairman for Mobile Festival 2013 and director of International Institute of Digital Marketing, said the real opportunity in innovation lay in mobile. 

"Today's mobile users become more mindful in choosing such devices, as they want them as tools that will enhance their personal experience. This paves the way for marketers to realize that mobile is no longer just a fad but a necessary addition to business and marketing strategies," Roxas-Chua said. 

Arthur Policarpio, head of Mobtext Asia Pacific, said mobile commerce is bolstering the ease and convenience brought on by e-commerce. 

"E-commerce began the revolution and its remarkable footprint is still apparent in how mobile works right now. And now that the world is going mobile, we might as well look into more options that will help local businesses understand how customers utilize mobile for purchase," Policarpio said. 

There are about 1.2 billion people worldwide who access information through their mobile devices.

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