Motricity Grabs GoldPocket

The RED HERRING reports on Motricity's acquisition of GoldPocket Wireless, a mobile content and management provider. According to the article, "the deal gives wireless marketplace specialist Motricity access to GoldPocket’s list of big-name media customers, including CBS, NBC, Fox, the Food Network, and TV Guide. GoldPocket has done mobile marketing for major television shows including Big Brother, The Apprentice, and The Biggest Loser."

The article states "Motricity’s Fuel platform, used by customers like Cingular, Palm, and Europe’s O2, provides customers with services including digital storefronts, content portals, and communities."

The article cites research from M:Metrics that finds "nearly 70 percent of French, 80 percent of German, and more than 84 percent of U.K. mobile users send text messages each month. In the U.S., that figure is little more than 36 percent."

David Chamberlain at In-Stat noted that "an even smaller percentage—15 percent—of U.S. wireless subscribers consume mobile video and music. Among the majority of people he surveys, they view phones as little more than devices for making calls."

Chamberlain said, “Aggregators are probably the most important part of this market,” because "wireless carriers want to work with a small number of companies when bringing services to their subscribers, whether it be games, ringtones, or text messaging." Chamberlain added, “That middle man position is extremely important."

According to Chamberlain, "the market will continue to increase gradually. Fifteen percent is still a large pool of users, but changes to the price of devices, services, and increased carrier openness will further increase demand." Chamberlain said, “There is no single app. This is… something that’s going to build gradually.”