(3 November 2008 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: NBC Universal has launched its new mobile portal in Japan.

The portal went live to coincide with the theatrical run, in Japan, of the movie Wanted starring Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman. It offers downloadable content and services to mobile customers via a number of operators, including NTT Docomo, KDDI-au and SoftBank Mobile.

NBC Universal will distribute and market its content and services under the ‘Universal Mobile’ brand. The service will allow access to content from a number of NBC Universal film and TV properties.

NBC Universal, Japan MD Taichi Fukuda says, “We are tremendously excited to be launching our ‘Universal Mobile’ business here and will strive to create new and edgy content that expands the digital experience of our fans”.

Customers of the three operators will be able to download a variety of mobile content, including themes, tones, decoration emails, made-for mobile comics, flash and casual games. The mobile portal will also hold fan forums and communities for NBC Universal branded content. Services will be made available on a pay-per-download and subscription basis, with some services also available on an initial free promotional basis.

The company adds that Japan is an advanced mobile market and a strategic priority for NBC Universal. This new mobile portal is the first of many digital ventures that NBC Universal expects to launch in Japan and across Asia.

Universal Pictures Digital Platforms senior VP mobile and broadband Jeremy Laws says, "This is the first time that a content portal will be programmed, hosted and managed entirely within the company - it's a fresh start. The Universal Mobile portal will give Japanese consumers a compelling, medium appropriate and fun way to interact with our brands on their mobile phones."