Mobile Operators See Triple Play Emerging For Content And Advertising

Companies like AT&T (NYSE: T) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ) are starting to explore content and advertising plays that span their three networks — mobile phones, broadband and TV, reports the WSJ. Early examples of this is when Saturday Night Live skits of “Weekend Update” and Burger King’s “Whopper Freak-out” ads played across all three of Verizon’s screens. To be sure, it sounds like early days, but the likes of Verizon and AT&T are experimenting because it may provide a new source of revenues as the U.S. wireless industry becomes more saturated. Of course, the article points out that there’s a lot of competition. Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) is also working on becoming a one-stop shop for advertisers, which spans the three networks, and even video games. In addition, cable operators are also investing in the wireless networks, so they’ll have a triple-play as well. The biggest hurdle, however, is reach. AT&T and Verizon have millions of wireless and broadband consumers, but mobile advertising is still quite new, and the two companies’ TV services are just getting off the ground.