Source: Private Media Group, Inc.
By: Company Press Release
(BARCELONA, SPAIN) — Private Media Group Inc. (Nasdaq: PRVT), a worldwide leader in premium-quality adult entertainment products, services and content, is pleased to announce the launch of adult content and services in the United States for mobile phone users.
From May, Private will offer US customers a number of mobile services never before available in the United States. These include the first ever real-time adult SMS text-chat service and the ability to pay through a customer’s mobile phone bill to receive password access to Private’s content-rich online portal, Private.com. In addition, consumers will be able to purchase Private’s magazines, videos and DVDs for next-day home delivery through a simple charge to their mobile phone bill.
Private has established this agreement with a leading wireless platform provider enabling integrated connectivity reaching over 20 million U.S. mobile phone users. Discussions are underway with a view to accessing the potential 110 million overall U.S. mobile phone customer base.
Charles Prast, President and CEO of Private Media Group, commented: "Despite limited financial resources in 2002 following the withdrawal of our secondary offering, Private has managed to create a significant and proven content delivery and payment system for mobile phones. As such, Private is excited to be the first company to offer adult content with an integrated payment option on mobile phones in the United States. Private’s position as an industry leader, our experience in the European wireless marketplace, and our strict policies regarding consumer data make us uniquely suited as an adult content partner for mobile operators in the U.S."
Mr. Prast continued: "No longer just for voice traffic, mobile phones offer ways to interact, be entertained and pay for services through premium-billed SMS text messaging. We believe consumers of adult content are fed-up with expensive dialer programs and endless demands for their email address, billing address and credit card details. With Private’s integrated system, consumers can anonymously pay for a unique password to access Private.com to be sent directly and instantly to their phone. We also believe that premium mobile text chat, which is already a widely-used service in the UK, has great potential in the United States. This is a big and growing market. In 2001, the top five U.S. carriers delivered just over one million text messages. In 2002 research has estimated that the same carriers delivered around twelve billion text messages. In Europe, however, around 30 billion text messages are delivered each month – demonstrating the potential of this medium in this emerging market."
"Going forward, these services are part of Private’s overall wireless strategy, soon to incorporate multimedia on mobiles – with pictures and audio through MMS as well as full interactive streaming video formats over GPRS/Java and beyond. Well respected industry source Mobile Commerce recently stated that ‘Girls, gambling and games, but mostly girls is the future of mobile entertainment’. We agree." Mr. Prast said.
About Private Media Group:
Private Media Group is a leading global adult entertainment company that distributes its content over a wide range of media platforms, including narrow and broadband Internet, DVD and video, magazines, TV broadcasting as well as wireless technologies. Private owns the worldwide rights to the largest archive of high quality adult content in the world, which it physically distributes in over 35 countries.
For further information about Private Media Group, please contact:
Norman Bell
Alejandra Moore Mayorga
Phone: + 34 93 590 70 70
+34 91 531 23 88
+34 670 799 335
