Toronto’s Bell Mobility has signed an exclusive deal with New York’s HBO to deliver premium programming to Canadian mobile phones. The deal includes full eps of Entourage, The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Flight of the Conchords, Tell Me You Love Me and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Bell Mobility will offer subscribers ringtones, wallpapers and, later on, mobile games tied to the TV shows. Promotional previews, trailers, bonus footage and stand-up comedy are also part of the package. As it is a premium service, there won’t be any ad breaks in the programming.
While the new content will launch in English first, starting in May, Bell Mobility will dub its HBO service in French.
Bell Mobility VP products Adel Bazerghi says the HBO brand fits with Bell’s efforts to secure the best mobile content in Canada. The telco already offers live programming (news, weather, sports, entertainment and content for kids), as well as full-length movies.
HBO International SVP Stanley Fertig says the deal aligns with the company’s ‘goal to grow our profile in the international marketplace through digital platforms.’ HBO reports that other Canadian broadcast partners were not involved, and should not be affected, because their window for airing the content is much earlier. The distribution of mobile programming also coincides with DVD releases.
