Moviso scored an exclusive, one-year licensing agreement in the United States to offer wireless content based on the highly touted summer movie “The Hulk.” The company launched a Web site to sell the content in conjunction with the release of the movie, offering ring tones, graphics and games.
Through www.hulkmobile.com, as well as through its carrier deals, Moviso plans to offer a range of content, including a side-scrolling action game for Java phones, a puzzle game for BREW handsets, mono- and polyphonic ring tones and color graphics. The games mark Moviso’s first foray into wireless gaming, an area those in the industry agree stands to see a tremendous amount of growth. Moviso primarily focuses on ring tones.
“Moviso is providing an innovative way to distribute content based on ‘The Hulk’ feature film, that all fans of the character and story lines can experience,” said Russ Brown, executive vice president of consumer products, promotions and media sales for Marvel Enterprises Inc., the company that owns the Hulk rights. “Through this agreement, Marvel is able to bring one of its most popular super heroes from the film and comic book worlds to the mobile phone, further driving brand awareness, new revenue opportunities and fan loyalty.”
Movie tie-ins have arisen as a significant opportunity for those looking to cash in on the wireless data business. Indeed, the market seems to be a free-for-all, as wireless players look to tie in with virtually all of this year’s major summer movies:
- Summus Inc. said it scored a deal with C2 and Intermedia to offer ring tones and wallpaper based on the upcoming “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” movie.
- Cingular signed an agreement with Sony Pictures Entertainment Co. to jointly promote the upcoming “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” motion picture, featuring the Sony Ericsson T316 handset. The agreement includes downloadable “Charlie’s Angels” games and ring tones.
- Mforma scored the rights to distribute wireless video games based on Marvel’s X-Men by Activision, in conjunction with the release of the movie “X2:X-Men United.” Mforma also acquired the exclusive, worldwide rights to develop games and other content based on “The Italian Job.”
- Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. developed one of the mobile-phone props used in “The Matrix: Reloaded” and is selling a commercial version of the phone through the Internet.
However, such deals do not guarantee success. Those in the industry often cite the “Riot fiasco” as a cautionary tale concerning movie rights in wireless.
Finnish wireless entertainment developer Riot Entertainment Ltd. scored the rights to “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” “Lord of the Rings” and the blockbuster “Spider-Man” movie to develop games and other applications based on the brands. However, those in the industry said the company bid as high as $1 million per license for such rights-and Riot was unable to play in a game with such high stakes. The company went bankrupt two years ago after burning through more than $20 million in funding in less than three years.
