T-Mobile and EMI trial free video service

Mobile operator T-Mobile has partnered with music behemoth EMI to trial an advertising supported mobile video service for UK customers.

The trials will give selected customers access to free video content embedded with television-style advertising.

The service looks very similar to SpiralFrog’s innovative approach to delivering legal music to mobile users who have to listen to radio-style advertising before being given free audio files to keep.

The pair will offer news, entertainment and sports, according to a statement.

Music videos from EMI UK artists, such as Lilly Allen, Gorillaz, The Kooks and Robbie Williams, will be packaged and streamed to customers with a specifically targeted advert embedded in the file. Advertisers already signed up to take part in the trial include Coca-Cola, GM, Gillette, Microsoft and Nike.

Tony Kypreos, European vice-president for business development and innovation at EMI, said: “Consumers want to be able to enjoy music in many forms across a variety of different platforms. The advertising-supported model is currently generating a lot of interest, and we think we’ll learn more about what fans want from mobile music in this trial.”