2006-10-10

Ericsson to provide multimedia services to TV format company Bringiton and US TV audiences

Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) today announced a contract with Swedish television format company Bringiton AB to provide its Internet Payment Exchange (IPX) service to the upcoming Play Us video gaming docu-drama. Play Us is known for its stars - the female video gamers Les Seules.

Ericsson will provide Bringiton with SMS connections to US mobile operators for payment and interaction via the Ericsson IPX service. At present, content providers have access to 90 percent of US mobile subscribers through the service.

Play Us is a 10-part reality documentary series and world tour. It features Les Seules, a Scandinavian all-girl video gaming group that is a leader in electronic sport (e-sport) and top online game Counter-Strike(TM), played by more than 100 million people worldwide. MTV Networks has described the format as "the future of youth-oriented programming."

Research shows that mobile phone users want services such as voting and chat via SMS and more interaction with TV programs. This opens up many integrated marketing opportunities for advertisers. With the Ericsson IPX solution, Play Us will feature such interactive multimedia services.

Martin Gisselman, CEO of Bringiton, says: "E-sports is the fastest-growing entertainment business today. Young people are technology savvy and demand interactivity so it is important to have content riding on a strong technical backbone. Ericsson's IPX solution is an excellent choice for broadcasters wishing to provide multimedia services. It makes it possible for television audiences to access interactive services using any mobile phone and any carrier."

Fredrik Ruben, head of IPX Sales, North America, Ericsson, says: "Bringiton is one of the best new-format developers and we are proud to provide SMS connections to them in, and beyond, the US market."

Information about the company: Telefon AB LM Ericsson