SurfKitchen serves TV to Malaysia’s Maxis

Rating: good way to drive 3G adoption

By Annie Turner

Maxis, one of Malaysia’s alternative mobile operators, has launched an integrated mobile content services portal based on SurfKitchen’s Desktop. It includes the first deployment of SurfKitchen’s mobile TV application, offering 15 channels of news and entertainment.

The portal, myMAXIS, consolidates Maxis’ service portfolio within one interface, designed to provide content discovery and access. The portal’s home screen helps publicise services, while providing a simple user interface. The home page includes a news ticker, three ads highlighting new content and icons leading to seven services; mobile TV, news, music, games, traffic updates, account management and a page of hot sites with direct links to WAP pages.

Tim Barber, senior VP of sales for SurfKitchen told GoMo News, “Maxis is delighted. One of it’s functions is to drive 3G adoption and that’s what is happening. It has been hugely successful since launch.”

By channelling subscribers from a single home page through distinct content gateways, Maxis can also increase revenues by offering a platform for targeted advertising. Branding, content and advertisements are managed through over-the-air updates, “allowing Maxis to make regular and timely changes to the platform, keeping it relevant and fresh to sustain customer interest”.

Which is where I come a bit unstuck with it. In the same way that I’m sick to death of hearing about 18-24 year olds – as though no-one over that age would appreciate the convenience of lots of mobile services and have the disposable income to use them ¬– but I’m also less than convinced that targeted advertising is the sure-fire winner lots of people think it will be. And it turns out I’m not alone.

Ad guru and author of the new book Ads to Icons, Paul Springer, isn’t entirely convinced either. The book was a gift for the attendees of SurfKitchen’s round table last night. I’d like to thank them very much for inviting me and providing some hugely thought-provoking reading material.

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