Mobisode
[Mobisode] has nothing to do with an episode of the Sopranos, but is a new word invented by
the mobile
telephone firm Vodaphone that reached many newspaper columns in November 2004, though whether
it will become an accepted term is open to doubt. It was used in a press release that also
announced that the firm has launched its 3G (third-generation) mobile phone service in the UK
and Europe. A mobisode (from mobile + episode) is a specially created mini-television series
suitable for showing on the two-inch phone screen of these new handsets. Vodaphone has signed
a deal with Fox in the USA to produce 24 one-minute spin-off episodes of its drama 24 with a
parallel sub-plot under the title 24: Conspiracy. Many other providers are also being signed
up to provide video services, especially sports and news organisations.
Vodafone will begin offering the one-minute episodes in January in the United Kingdom. The
“mobisodes,” as they’re being called, will be introduced later in 2005 in up to 23 more
countries where Vodafone operates, mainly in Europe, as well as in the United States through
the company’s Verizon Wireless joint venture.
[The Toronto Star, 12 Nov. 2004]
Vodafone also plans to introduce a “Mobisodes” service next year, in cooperation with 20th
Century Fox, providing short, made-for-mobile episodes related to television series like “24.”
While these will feature exclusive content, Vodafone acknowledges that a major goal is to
generate viewers for the TV show.
[International Herald Tribune, 11 Nov. 2004]