There's a lot to dislike about wireless media--not the least of which are crummy green-screen graphics, plain text, and slow download times. But there's a key difference between Web and wireless that gets content providers excited: While Web users expect free content, wireless phone users know the meter is always on. That's why many top media companies are looking to wireless for the revenue boost they never got from the Web. As U.S. network operators roll out their new, faster next-generation networks, and handset manufacturers respond with Java-based phones with color screens, companies like Playboy.com and Viacom Consumer Products hope that wireless subscriberswill log onto wireless Web sites, download games, or subscribe to content pushed to phones--and also open their wallets. Such optimism is warranted, according to David Chamberlain, research director for Probe Research.
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