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Nickelodeon launches new mobile Web sites

MTV Networks' Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group launched three new mobile Web sites that focus on kids, tweens, teens and parents, going where its audiences are.

Nick's mobile site can be accessed at wap.nick.com and features kid-oriented content including pictures, flipbooks, polls and show and schedule information.

"We are following our traditional linear TV and Web approach of launching demo-focused mobile Web sites around each of our brands," said Steve Youngwood, executive vice president of digital media at Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group, New York.

"We will selectively promote this online via some of our Web sites and on-air," he said. "We will be running an on-air promo starting next week around voting via the Nick mobile Web site for the 2008 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards."

Also featured on the mobile sites are a selection of games including: a TeeNick "Who is It" picture game, an Avatar: The Last Airbender game, a SpongeBob SquarePants personality quiz and classic puzzle games such as Tic-Tac-Toe and Hangman.

"The WAP sites will follow the advertising business model, but in a way that is safe and appropriate for our audiences," Mr. Youngwood said.

"The challenges are that the business models are still proving themselves and the handset technology and cell phone bandwidth is still evolving," he said.

The Nick mobile Web site also features the ability to vote for Nickelodeon's 2008 Kids' Choice Awards, taking place March 29.

According to Nielsen's 2007 Kids on the Go Study, tweens 8-12 spend 3.4 hours a week on mobile sites.

In second quarter, Nick will launch additional mini-sites on wap.nick.com centered on TV events, such as SpongeBob SquarePants Pest of the West in April.

The N mobile site will debut early in second quarter 2008 on wap.the-n.com.

The site will feature a mobile version of Rank and other popular games on The-N.com, the daily N'Sider blog with movie and music news, reviews, personality quizzes, flipbooks and other content related to fan-favorite shows on The N such as Degrassi, About A Girl, Saved By the Bell; and The N's on-air schedule.

Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group will also launch a Parent-themed mobile site in the third quarter, building off of the content from its ParentsConnect site at http://www.parentsconnect.com.

The ParentsConnect mobile site will give parents and caregivers access to all things parenting-related, including daily tips, activities, product recommendations and expert parenting information via their mobile phones.

In the upcoming months Nickelodeon, in a partnership with Omnicom Group Inc.'s MangoMobile, will be developing additional games which will be added to the Nick mobile site.

MTV Networks last year recorded more than 16.3 million page views on all its mobile sites. The broadcaster claims its WAP sites combined have registered more than 75 percent growth in traffic every month.

"More robust entertainment to come on the various sites," Mr. Youngwood said. "We'll be developing a library of up to 25 games on the Nick mobile Web site by year's end."