MUMBAI: With mobile being the latest buzzword in the world of entertainment, Discovery has decided to jump onboard.

It has teamed up with Volantis. Volantis which supplies intelligent content adaptation solutions and services will develop, deploy, and host Discovery's all-new global mobile portal.

The rollout begins in Asia later this year. Discovery’s global mobile service will be available through the branded portals of mobile network operators, as well as ‘direct to device’ for subscribers who have Internet access via their mobile phone.

The new portal will provide consumers around the globe with an array of content from all of Discovery’s brands delivered in various forms including news and information, images, video clips, guides to programmes, SMS/MMS messages, ringtones, truetones and quizzes. It will also offer pioneering services in support of the company’s lifestyle programming such as a Pregnancy Calendar.

This concept, based on an actual conception date, will send a message, every week throughout the duration of the pregnancy, containing pictures and information on the baby’s progress as well as health tips and advice.

The Volantis intelligent content adaptation solution recognises more than 350 attributes of more than 1,300 mobile devices allowing it to generate, in real-time, precise content optimised for each individual mobile handset. This means that each Discovery mobile user will receive an extremely high quality brand experience.

Discovery Networks International VP New Media Tanya Field says, "As a leading provider of entertainment and information programming, Discovery looks for new ways to deliver its content to consumers on their terms. We want to offer a sophisticated mobile solution that complements our existing channels, deepens our customer relationships and provides for more choice and flexibility. Volantis’ award-winning technology and proven success in working with other international brands on a large-scale makes them the ideal technology partner in this endeavour."

Volantis CTO Mark Watson commented, "Overcoming the challenge of delivering a wealth of brand assets across a diverse global mix of operators and mobile devices is exactly the problem that Volantis Intelligent Content Adaptation technology solves. Our solution will allow Discovery to deliver a consistent brand experience and will support the growth of its creative content distribution in the mobile environment.

The Discovery service will utilise the Volantis Managed Service solution, also used by customers such as Reuters, eBay.co.uk, and FT.com, which provides end-to-end management and optimised delivery of both centralised and localised content to thousands of different devices across any network. Volantis will manage all aspects of delivery including integration in to operator portals and billing systems, content management, download and messaging services.