Disney Channel's Australian arm last month became the first in the world to offer full-length episodes of its series on mobile phones. Picture / Reuters
Mobile phones are already a must-have for many New Zealand "tweens" and they may soon carry television shows targeted at the youngsters.
Disney Channel's Australian arm last month became the first in the world to offer full-length episodes of its series on mobile phones and is in talks
to bring "something similar" to New Zealand.
Walt Disney Television International Australia/New Zealand chief Michael Cairns says the company is moving with the times as television viewing habits change.
He says viewers increasingly want to watch TV on-demand and on a variety of screens.
New Zealand has more than 300,000 tweens - people aged between 9 and 14 - and Nielsen Media Research shows that 86 per cent of those with a mobile phone believe they would be "lost without it".
Vodafone Live head Tim Nichols says the company plans to launch a package of programming next year and cartoons could be included.
Mr Nichols expects that the children's shows will be mainly accessed by adults and viewed by children in what is termed the "pass-back" effect.
"In a car driving, you tune it in, pass the phone to the kids in the back of the car and, hey, you've got the kids entertained."
News, sport and weather are popular in packages overseas.
Mr Nichols says challenges locally include the small scale of the market and the absence of a widespread commuter culture.
Telecom marketing general manager Kevin Bowler says users of the company's 3G services tend to be aged between 18 and 49, with a slightly male skew.
"Tweens, in particular, are high users of music-related services," says Mr Bowler.
While Disney Channel is still in negotiations to bring its shows to mobile phones on this side of the Tasman, in Australia the Foxtel by Mobile Service mobile TV package includes a loop of six of its shows, including Kim Possible and American Dragon: Jake Long. No figures on use are available yet.
