Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is bringing the Jeopardy brand into the mobile space with a new enhanced premium game for handsets.

The Jeopardy mobile game is available on Java, Brew, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile handsets and the price ranges from $2.49 to $9.99, depending on the carrier. Developers also have plans to extend the enhanced game to additional platforms, including the iPhone and iPad.

?For decades, Jeopardy has been one of the most popular franchises in entertainment,? said Richard Berger, senior vice president of global digital strategy and operations for Sony, Culver City, CA. ?It's an addictive formula that translates well to a variety of mediums, from the board games available when I was a kid, to the mobile edition we've released this week.

?It should be mobile,? he said. ?Fans should be able to access their favorite brand in any environment they choose.?

Sony produces Jeopardy, which debuted in 1984 and claims to be the top-rated quiz show in syndication on television.

The game mimics the Jeopardy game show experience with a number of features, including music from the show and content written by the show?s writers.

Users can create customizable avatars, challenge their friends using a new multiplayer feature, compete for trophies and place their high scores on a digital leader board.

?It's a premium game which mimics the look, feel and music of the TV show, with content developed by the show's writers,? Mr. Berger said.

Promoting pay-to-play in the mobile space
Sony is promoting the mobile game through a number of different channels, including TV spots and Web and mobile advertising.

?Our strategy is unique because of the penetration of this game across multiple segments,? Mr. Berger said. ?We have reached out to the long-time Jeopardy fan in online promotion to push them toward the mobile experience. 

?We have invited audiences that are familiar with the Jeopardy brand but new to mobile ? perhaps a new smartphone user in the last 12 months ? to participate with a trusted game experience in their new on-the-go environment,? he said.

?And, of course, we have excited the sophisticated mobile group with incredible features, unparalleled game graphics and true-to-show audio, to create an unprecedented experience with "America's Favorite Game Show" in their pocket.?

In targeting the mobile game, Sony did not focus on any one particular demographic.

?Fans of the show run the gamut, so we see the mobile game as having a very wide appeal from Millennials to Generation X and beyond,? Mr. Berger said. ?Rather than looking at the target audience only by age, we have tailored our marketing and messaging toward the mobile experience of the audience.?

A number of other entertainment companies have monetized their brands through paid mobile games.

Disney launched an application earlier this month for the film ?Toy Story 3? that includes several games ranging in price from $1 to $4 (see story).

Games account for more than half of the revenue generated by mobile applications, according to an executive from Electronic Arts at the Mobile Marketing Forum earlier this month (see story).

While the current version of the Jeopardy mobile game levies a one-time download charge, developers are currently devising more sophisticated payment schemes for future iterations.

?The version we are releasing this week is a simple version of Jeopardy that fans on the go can play on their handsets,? Mr. Berger said. ?But we are planning a variety of microtransactions for upcoming iPhone and iPad versions of the game.?