HONG KONG -- Viacom's MTV is using fast-developing Asia to test technology and new media.
Company this week unveiled its first 3G mobile phone play in Cambodia with Cambodia Advanced Communications, and a partnership with Shockwave in Japan.
Latter will establish an advertising business model based on "advergames," free online games used for advertising. Games combine corporate logos and demonstrate services in a user-friendly fashion. Shockwave is one of the biggest entertainment websites in Japan and MTVJapan.com is a leading music and youth site.
In Cambodia, MTV and Nickelodeon content will be offered to Cadcomm's 3G mobile phone subscribers. Provided under the qb brand, video content will be delivered in mobile TV form or as video-on-demand.
Fast developing, Cambodia has an unusually low penetration of fixed line telephones and Internet services, so its consumers appear to be skipping a generation of technology.
According to data from Dublin-based consultancy Research and Markets, Cambodia had only 42,000 fixed line phone connections at the beginning of 2007, but more than 1.5 million mobile phone subscribers. It said that mobile subscriptions were rising at a rate of 35% per year.
"The MTV brand and its position in the local market is very strong," said CEO of Cadcomm's Morten Eriksen.
The qb launch will be marked by a Stacie Orrico concert in Phnom Penh's Olympic Stadium with an anticipated 50,000 spectators.
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