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WirelessDevNet.com Press Release
TOM Online and Sports Weekly Jointly Offer Cross-platform Wireless Internet Services For Olympics
BEIJING, July 21 -- Come August, billions of sports fans in China only need to flick through the menu of their mobile handsets and they will be able to watch the matches taking place at the Athens Olympics, check results and even become a sports commentator themselves. Following the great sporting events has never been easier -- all thanks to TOM Online's wireless Internet services.
TOM Online (Nasdaq: TOMO; HK GEM: 8282), a leading mobile Internet company in China, today announced a strategic partnership with Sports Weekly, China's largest sports newspaper with circulation of over 4 million, to jointly develop and market sports related wireless Internet products and services over TOM Online's wireless Internet platform. The two companies have also reached an agreement to develop and market IVR services based on Sports Weekly contents on an exclusive basis.
The multi-pronged partnership includes online content development, wireless Internet product development and distribution and co-marketing program. The official collaboration will kick off during the 2004 Olympics in Athens. TOM Online and Sports Weekly will send a joint reporting crew to Athens during 2004 Olympics, to report the latest Olympics news live from the field. A suite of wireless Internet services across SMS, MMS, WAP and IVR will be available to TOM Online users, such as latest games results, interviews with winners and the Chinese Olympics team, sports fans chat rooms, image downloads and interactive games.
The partnership is a continuation of the successful co-operation between TOM Online and Sports Weekly earlier for joint product and service offerings for Euro 2004, one of the most popular sports events in the world in 2004.
''We are excited about this partnership with Sports Weekly as it broadens our reach to the hundreds of millions of sports fans in China by providing them with very targeted contents. Through our wireless Internet applications, we will bring to them an unprecedented experience in a wireless multimedia environment,'' said Mr. Wang Lei Lei, Chief Executive Officer of TOM Online.
''Wireless Internet services, especially WAP and IVR, are booming in China because of their timeliness and flexibility and have become the ideal media to disseminate and receive multimedia information. With the strategic partnership with the premium content providers and distribution partners such as Sports Weekly, TOM Online will continue to strengthen its clear leadership in this area,'' said Mr. Wang.
Mr. Qu You Yuan, chief editor of Sports Weekly said, ''This partnership pulls together, once again, our expertise in sports news and contents and TOM Online's leading position in wireless Internet services, allowing us to jointly explore the business opportunities embedded in China's sports market.''
TOM Online also reached agreement with national and international news agencies and media such as Xinhua News Agency, Reuters, Agency France Presse, Getty Images and over 100 sports media to acquire the most comprehensive information for Olympics fans in China.
About TOM Online Inc.
TOM Online Inc. (Hong Kong GEM: 8282, Nasdaq: TOMO) is a leading mobile Internet company in China providing value-added multimedia products and services. A premier online brand in China targeting the young and trendy demographic, the company's primary business activities include wireless Internet services, online advertising and commercial enterprise solutions. The company offers an array of services such as SMS, MMS, WAP, wireless interactive voice response services, content channels, search and classified information, free and fee-based advanced email and online games. As of March 31, 2003, TOM Online is the only portal in China that enjoyed a top three ranking in every wireless Internet service segment.
TOM Online is a subsidiary of TOM Group Limited (''TOM Group''), one of the leading Chinese language media groups in the Greater China region. TOM Group's diverse operations span five media sectors: the Internet (through TOM Online Inc.), outdoor (through TOM Outdoor Media Group), publishing, sports and TV & entertainment.
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