T-Mobile offers ad-funded gaming

by Tristan O'Carroll, mediaweek.co.uk 02-Dec-08, 15:15

LONDON - T-Mobile is to become the first UK mobile phone operator to launch ad-funded gaming.

Customers can access at least one new game per week by joining T-Mobile’s Game Club. The first free game available to consumers is Poker Million II, funded by advertisers including Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, from Paramount Pictures.

In exchange for watching two full-screen, targeted ads before starting the game, and two ads after the game has finished, customers receive the game for free. Within the UK, customers will not be charged for the data required for downloading the game or accessing the ads.

The full-screen, interstitial ads are interactive and enable the user to visit an advertiser’s mobile site or click to call or text the advertiser. There will be no limitations on the number of games that can be downloaded or how many times each game can be played.

Digistores, the digital ad-funded entertainment outfit, will host and manage content and new games will be made available each week.

Games scheduled to appear in the coming weeks include IQ Booster, Pro-Bowling, Pool Star and Einstein’s Brain Game. Digistores’ service will only offer customers games that are compatible with their particular handsets and can automatically detect the games that will work on individual devices.

The games are available to people who subscribe to T-Mobile’s web’n’walk service.