Paramount is going its own way on cell phones, pacting with Crisp Wireless to launch a digital store featuring cell-phone content available direct to consumers.
Studio plans to promote the site via text-messaging codes on DVDs and marketing material. Consumers will have access to a mix of free and premium content such as ringtones, wallpapers, mobile games and video.
Site is designed both to promote theatrical and DVD releases and to generate revenue through content sales.
"The plan is to aggregate our content in the Paramount Mobile site and have individual micro-sites for each movie that we can market across all our vehicles," said Sandi Isaacs, Par senior VP for interactive and mobile.
Going forward, Paramount will put up mobile content for all its pics, and it also plans to make available mobile content for recently released and library titles.
Par previously had to make unique arrangements to sell mobile content for each of its films, which made it dependent on placement with cell-phone carriers like Verizon and Sprint.
While it still plans to work with carriers and other mobile partners, Par is hoping its new strategy will give it direct access to cell-phone users regardless of any outside deals.
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