Kring
Nokia has dialed up "Heroes" creator-exec producer Tim Kring to create entertainment applications for the cell phone maker's Ovi Store, launching this summer.
Details of the initial project, dubbed "Teva," are being kept tightly under wraps by both sides, but property is expected to utilize the various capabilities of Nokia's newest phones, including video, photos, access to the Internet and other forms of interactivity.
"Teva" will initially be distribbed on Nokia's Ovi Store, which is launching in May, before moving to other platforms.
Storefront will offer traditional applications for Nokia's line of smart phones, similar to Apple's iPhone App Store, but also interactive programming that will be playable on all of the Finnish company's various devices.
Given the tens of millions of Nokia cell phones in the hands of consumers, the company's Ovi Store has the potential for providing producers with a lucrative outlet to reach an audience and generate coin from programming.
Apple, which has far fewer iPhones on the market than Nokia has handsets out there, is expected to see its App Store turn into a billion-dollar biz within the next two years, according to research firm Mobclix. In less than a year, sales have grown 38% per month, with more than 800 million downloads generated to date.
"Mobile has reached a state of maturity where it is now a creative platform to tell, share and consume multiplatform content," Kring said.
Nokia's relationship with Kring was born out of a promotional partnership that had phones integrated into "Heroes" early in its run. Show's Hiro Nakamura, for example, used a Nokia handset to try to save New York City from a nuclear explosion.
Thousands of content creators and developers worldwide, including Electronic Arts, Paramount Digital Entertainment, Neftlix, MySpace, Facebook and Fox Mobile, have already agreed to produce projects in time for the Ovi Store's launch.
On launch, customers with Nokia series 40 and S60 phones will be capable of purchasing from the Ovi Store, with those owning the N97, available in June, to follow.
Contact Marc Graser at
marc.graser@variety.com