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Associated Press expands entertainment focus with Oscar mobile coverage

The Associated Press teamed up with Livestream to provide consumers with live Oscars Red Carpet coverage straight from their mobile device.

Livestream provides users the ability to stream video via multiple devices, including the Internet, television and handset.

The AP said that since its mobile application launch almost two years ago, more than 55 million local stories have been read on a mobile device. Additionally, the AP claims to have been the first to create an iPhone mobile news application (see story).

Mobile Marketer?s Rimma Kats interviewed Michael Dutton, global director of entertainment products at the AP. Here is what he had to say:

What was the strategy behind the Oscars effort?
Through our success with the AP Mobile news site and applications, we recognize the growing consumer demand for mobile content ? especially on a night like the Oscars where folks are constantly looking for real-time information on their favorite stars.

We are in the early stages of developing this particular product, so we wanted to make sure that users can access AP Live through mobile.livestream.com.

The site is optimized for today?s most popular phones ? iPhone, BlackBerry and Android.

We?re looking into developing applications and expanding the AP Entertainment presence in the mobile market.

Who is the target demographic?
We?re targeting entertainment fans of all ages and demographics.

The fantastic thing about events like the Academy Awards is that there?s something in it for everyone ? movies, Hollywood feuds and politics, celebrities, gossip, fashion and beauty.

More than 60 percent of AP mobile users are in the coveted 18-34 age bracket, more than 53 percent of AP mobile users earn more than $75,000 per year, and men represent more than 75 percent of traffic to across all subject areas with the exception of sports which is more than 82 percent.

Our target demographic is similar to AP mobile, although we hope to pick up more traffic from women.

How did the AP get the word out about this? 
Primarily, we [were] focused on word of mouth to drive awareness and traffic to AP Live.

There was a Facebook fan page and our AP reporters were posting updates to both Facebook and Twitter.

For instance, folks could follow @AP and global entertainment editor Alicia Quarles had her own Twitter. After the Oscars, AP Live will continue to feature daily and weekly celebrity interviews and packaged content, for example, movie previews and a look at upcoming summer blockbusters.