AT&T’s Wireless Plans

AT&T executive vice president of entertainment, Scott Helbing, who is responsible for acquiring programming content for AT&T’s new video service U-verse, is delighted with the acquisition of BellSouth and its subsidiary, Cingular Wireless. U-verse doesn’t have any customers at the moment, and Cingular has 60 million, which should help in buying content once all the different media collide. “When we go back five years from now” to negotiated deals with TV programmers, “it’s going to be a totally different conversation.”
Obviously the company’s wireless strategy includes integrating wireless and wired products such as broadband internet and U-verse TV. “For example, consumers will be able to access any sort of “content” – be it a family photo library, a Hollywood movie or a sports highlight – from a PC, TV or cellphone. Ditto for personal calendars and e-mail.” There’s also interactivity in the works, between media (sending a clip of a TV show to a friend) and in general (buying a product seen on a show). Helbing also talked about advertising, claiming it will be big once carriers figure out how to make it palatable to customers — apparently they’re considering integrating ads into ringtones, which doesn’t sound very palatable to me. AT&T is also looking at buying content that can be used as an advertising vehicle. (via TechDirt)

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