GoTV Networks Inc. has announced initial strategic mobile advertising partnerships with Millennial Media, Digital Sidebar and Ad Infuse to make its subscription-based content ad-supported.

Fueling the shift to an ad-supported model are unlimited data plans, 3G networks and large format 3G handsets, all of which let consumers experience original and syndicated video programming content offered by GoTV.

"Strategically, today the nascent signs of the inevitable market shift to ad-supported mobile content are coming into view," said Thomas Ellsworth, CEO of GoTV Networks, Sherman Oaks, CA. "As part of that dynamic, we see a multi-faceted advertising strategy being critical to our success.

"This includes targeted on-device ad technologies," he said. "Looking through this lens, GoTV researched multiple solutions and providers in selecting the set of strategic partners that can help us execute and generate advertising revenue as subscription business models shift to ad support."

GoTV's integrated mobile advertising effort includes third-party ads on the company's mobile Internet sites, third-party video ads within the company's video programming channels and alternative advertising technologies to drive discovery, subscription and viewership for the company's products.

First, GoTV Networks is extending a long-standing relationship with Millennial Media to deliver ads on the company's network of mobile Internet sites.

Second, the company selected Ad Infuse and Millennial Media to bring video advertisements to the company's music channels.

As the mobile video advertising space evolves, the company will extend partnerships to other companies as required.

Beyond traditional forms of advertising, GoTV has engaged digital SIDEBAR for highly targeted, on-device interactive direct advertising and promotion.

"In terms of marketing GoTV's content to end-users -- wireless subscribers -- the Digital SIDEBAR relationship is key in that it helps with promotion and discovery on the mobile handset," Mr. Ellsworth said. "Without discovery and promotion, consumers don't know the content is available.

"From a strategically B2B standpoint, our leading end-to-end mobile content syndication capabilities are enhanced by these mobile advertising partnerships," he said. "These providers enable GoTV to immediately and significantly enhance the multi-platform syndication offering we currently provide to media owners, such as Univision, a key partner of ours, advertising agencies and brand partners seeking to bring their programming content to mobile and broadband."

GoTV's long-standing relationship with Millennial Media began with a pilot advertising campaign to increase awareness and sell-through of the company's premium music products.

Building on that initiative, GoTV continues to advertise its premium content through Millennial Media's network of mobile Internet sites.

This relationship is now extended as GoTV's own mobile Internet sites have been added to Millennial Media's network.

Millennial Media will now also bring GoTV opportunities to its growing base of agency and advertising clients.

GoTV Mobile Internet sites include Altitude at http://m.4alt.tv, ES Musica at http://m.4esmu.tv and Hip Hop Official at http://m.4hho.tv.

GoTV also selected Ad Infuse to bring video advertisers to GoTV through the Ad Infuse adInMotion platform.

Ad Infuse and Millennial Media will bring video advertisers to GoTV's music channels, expanding to other GoTV channels later this year.

The video ad inventory will be comprised of GoTV's Rock on Altitude, ES Musica and Hip Hop Official channels that are available within video programming packages offered by select U.S. wireless carriers and for the Apple iPhone as an application available through the Apple iPhone Apps Store.

To build and launch video ad-support capabilities, GoTV's technology team automated the insertion process using the company's proprietary AdBot solution while also integrating Millennial Media and Ad Infuse APIs as required.

To facilitate content discovery, subscription and viewership, GoTV has selected digital SIDEBAR for its innovative on-device interactive advertising platform.

GoTV claims that initial consumer tests yielded very positive results that proved the capabilities and significant promise.

Through these initial partnerships, GoTV adds significant advertising support to its set of post-production, automatic encoding, multi-platform syndication and viewership reporting tools.

These tools and GoTV's distribution network of U.S. carriers and broadband Web sites form the company's suite of content syndication services.

Mobile access to GoTV's content includes streaming and on-demand services on a broad range of wireless devices through Alltel, AT&T, Boost Mobile, Sprint Nextel, Verizon Wireless and Virgin Mobile.

"GoTV Networks is the first and largest multi-platform new media network," Mr. Ellsworth said. "We are not a platform such as MediaFLO, MobiTV or Real and we don't compete with them.

"Our content plays and is presented on these platforms and other platforms specified by the wireless carriers," he said.