Zed invests $65m in Web 2.0 platform - www.mobile-ent.biz
Zed invests $65m in Web 2.0 platform - www.mobile-ent.biz
Zed invests $65m in Web 2.0 platform
19:30, Feb 8th 2007 by Stuart O’Brien
D2C giant Zed has embraced Web 2.0 for a $65 million revamp of its mobile and PC content offering, which was unveiled today.
The new look signals Spain-based Zed’s move into a connected cross-platform environment as opposed to the one-off mobile content downloads on which its business has been built to date, though the latter will continue to play a core role in the business.
The revamped portal is built around user-generated content, community tools (blogs, dating etc) and communication software (mail, messenger, etc), and will launch first in the US this month, followed by Spain and all remaining markets shortly after. Customers will be offered several tiered subscription options.
The services will also be made available to Monstermob customers in anticipation of Zed’s impending acquisition of that company, so by the end of this month the Zed community will stretch across 31 countries.
Speaking to ME, Zed CEO Javier Perez Dolset, said: “When you look at the kind of mobile content that’s been popular to date it’s single, one-off downloads of ringtones, wallpaper and games etc. That goes against the philosophy of mobile - community is ultimately the key to the platform. We’ve been preparing for today’s launch for 17 months and the idea is to integrate our services with all devices that connect to the internet.”
Dolset added that the new services allow Zed to target the 45-65 per cent of people that use the internet regularly, as opposed to the five-six per cent that download mobile content on a regular basis.
Going forward, Zed will be adding video, imaging and online games functionality to its portals. Dolset said, however, that music downloads are something Zed is eschewing right now due to continued uncertainty over the business models required to ensure a profitable service.