MTV to launch mobile social network Con3xion around MTV Tr3s

MTV is a one of the best known brands among the youth today and it doesn’t surprises they want to additionally monetize their brand and connect with their viewers through mobile social network. Now, MTV Network has announced they are working with the leading mobile social networking company and a developer of the “award-winning platform” ANTHEM, Intercasting Corporation, to launch their first mobile social network.

The two companies will be launching the Latino focused mobile social network around MTV Tr3s, called Con3xion. In addition, MTV also announced that along with Intercasting it will work to develop and launch mobile social networking initiatives for additional MTV properties… Full release after the jump.

PRESS RELEASE – MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, today announced it is working with Intercasting Corporation, the leading mobile social networking company, and its award- winning platform, ANTHEM, to develop a mobile social network around MTV Tr3s. The Latino focused mobile social network — to be called Con3xion — also marks the first time Intercasting has partnered with a major entertainment company to develop a mobile social networking initiative. MTVN and Intercasting will work together in the coming months to develop and launch mobile social networking initiatives for additional MTVN properties.

MTV Tr3s is the most-widely distributed TV network dedicated to super-serving today’s bicultural Latino youth. The ANTHEM platform will enable MTV Tr3s to launch the mobile social network and offer an incredibly functional and simple user interface for users to easily view photos, send and receive messages, post comments, search profiles and more, all while on the go. MTV Tr3s plans to extend its community functionality to the web in the near future.

“We have seen huge consumption of mobile content in the Latino community with over 60 percent growth in video streams for the MTV Tr3s mobile channel every month in the last quarter,” said Greg Clayman, Executive Vice President of Digital Distribution and Business Development for MTV Networks. “MTV Tr3s is a great property for us to kick off our mobile social networking push, as we continue to wrap social networking around more MTVN properties on the ANTHEM platform.”

“All of our carrier partners have asked us to provision key vertical communities that are in high demand by mobile consumers, so we are happy to serve MTVN and its mobile social networking strategy with our ANTHEM platform,” said Shawn Conahan, founder and CEO, Intercasting Corporation. “As MTV further expands its presence in the mobile space, its powerful brand and content will undoubtedly tie people together.”

For the MTV Tr3s audience, mobile content is a key component in connecting with the brand beyond the television set given that 63% of Latinos own a media-capable cell phone compared to 46% of non-Latinos and are 23% more likely to use their cell phones to watch video content according to MTV Networks’ Slivered Screen research.

“Young Latinos are highly engaged with media that is relevant to them and have proven to be extremely enthusiastic users of mobile technology. Our audience is looking to MTV Tr3s to provide them with greater opportunities to connect and share and a mobile social network fits their lifestyle perfectly,” said Lucia Ballas-Traynor, Senior Vice President and General Manager of MTV Tr3s.

In addition to enabling entertainment properties to easily create social networking initiatives for the mobile platform, ANTHEM also enables wireless carriers the option to provide a bevy of web-based community and social networking sites for subscribers. It is available to social networking site providers, major brands and entertainment companies interested in developing mobile social networking communities.

MTV Networks is the world’s leading provider of short-form and full-length video for mobile devices. The company’s iconic music, comedy, kids and pop culture brands offer a wide range of mobile content, from SMS to games, applications and graphics, to major-label ringtones and voicetones. MTVN has achieved significant growth in mobile video in 2007, on pace for more than 90 percent growth over 2006. The company has also increased traffic to its mobile websites (WAP), by 400 percent since the sites for MTV, VH1 and COMEDY CENTRAL launched in March.