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Breakfast Series with Fox’s
Matt McMahon Focuses on the Growing Mobile Landscape
The GEMA Breakfast Series that
took place on July 15th at Fox’s Century City studio lot
focused on the mobile media landscape, an ever-changing and innovating
area that spans everything from mobile phones to iPads and other tablet-like
devices. Headed up by Matt McMahon (SFS ’96, MBA ’04), VP
of Mobile for Fox Digital Entertainment, the discussion gave a broad
scope of how mobile media works, and how Fox specifically is using the
technology to increase both its viewership and bottom line.
Capitalizing on the success
of shows like Glee, for example, Fox is creating interactive applications
so buyers can create their own virtual Glee Club which enables them
to “sing” with other users across the world. The app, which
is offered on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, comes complete with pitch
correction so even the least savvy singers have a chance to follow a
melody, is available for $.99 and includes three karaoke-style song
downloads. The day after each new episode airs, viewers can download
an additional song for another $.99 a song.
McMahon gave several demonstrations
of all the new mobile technologies currently in or coming to the market,
from a phone that acts like a flute when you blow into it, to the James
Cameron’s Avatar (yes, the full movie) that will be available preloaded
on the newest Samsung phone at T-Mobile. He also passed around
several mobile items so the audience had a chance to see the technology
at work and try it themselves.
When the floor was opened up
to the audience for Q&A, one of the biggest questions on people’s
minds was the viability of this technology’s ability to grow with
the user, and if it was age-and gender-specific. McMahon pointed
out that in many of the informal gaming sites (Yahoo Games, for instance),
it’s equal parts women and men who play. As for age, he indicated
that everyone from young children to grandparents are in on the mobile
tech scene, a fact several people in the audience (which had a wide
age range) confirmed with their own mobile device ownership.
Story and photos by Jennifer Vitanzo (C ’99)
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