Feature

O2 and 3 Merge Communities

Networks & Network Services
Network rivals O2 and 3 are going to merge their two user-generated content communities into a single collective. The new community, to be named Eyevibe, will see O2's LookatMe and 3's SeeMeTV video services bundled together collecting over 60,000 videos.
 
The service enables subscribers throughout the UK to submit video clips on any subject to an online gallery, which can be viewed by other users on their mobile handset. Each time a clip is downloaded, the original content contributor receives a payment of 3p.

Since the launch of SeeMeTV and LookAtMe!, users have paid for more than 32 million video downloads earning a combined total of over £800,000 for users who have submitted more than 60,000 clips.

Dave Springall, chief technology officer of Yospace, said: “We have been working hard to not only combine these two communities, but also develop community features that will thrive under this operator-supported open access model. Our plan for 2008 is to make EyeVibe the biggest and brightest mobile community in the UK”.

John Penberthy-Smith, marketing director at 3, said: “3 was the first to market with SeeMeTV in October 2005. Already hugely popular, we knew everyone else would love it too so we have built a community which everyone can be part of. EyeVibe is the new cross-network user-generated service which we believe is the way forward for social networking”.

Grahame Riddell, head of content at O2 UK, added: “LookAtMe! has provided a platform for thousands of O2 customers to reach an audience with their quality mobile clips. EyeVibe will dramatically increase this audience, providing a massive boost to user-generated content on mobile in the UK”.