Jeep Launches Cellphone TV Channel

Now that’s a headline that made me stop and think…

JEEP LAUNCHES OWN MOBILE PHONE TV CHANNEL
Axe Deodorant Also Said to be Negotiating Similar Deal with MobiTV
SAN FRANCISCO (AdAge.com) — In an effort to harness mobile phone TV as a major branded entertainment medium, Jeep is launching its own mobile phone channel with MobiTV. The content is available to about 500,000 subscribers using Cingular, Sprint, Alltel and other mobile networks.

Most people I know don’t realize live TV on mobile phones is not only possible, it’s widely available. If you haven’t seen it, get a demo now. It’s a visceral demonstration of current technology, more so than video on an iPod or PSP.

And notice that Jeep didn’t partner with a broadcast or cable channel — the traditional experts of live TV — to produce this channel; they as advertiser partnered with the technology provider directly. In essence Jeep has become a broadcaster in it’s own right. It’ll be fun to watch that value chain re-order.