MEX

Maxim, the popular men’s magazine and part of Felix Dennis’ publishing empire, is expanding its mobile offerings in partnership with Mowave. The mobile developer has helped Dennis launch Maxim Mobile in 20 different countries and 10 different languages. The companies have focused on combining Maxim’s global brand with close links to the local editions in each country, ensuring the mobile content is as relevant to the subscribers as the magazine itself.

The results have been impressive. Mowave claims 1.5m commerce transactions have been completed through the Maxim Mobile network in 2005, the service is listed on 28 operator portals and traffic has tripled in less than 12 months.

“Maxim Mobile has seen tremendous growth since launching in the summer of 2003. It’s a tribute to the strength of Maxim’s global brand appeal and its unique content mix. I know of no other magazine brand that has penetrated both print and mobile across so many diverse territories, both on the major operator portals and out in the open-WAP environment, and that is accessible in multiple languages around the world.“ said Giles Richter, CEO of Mowave, Inc.

Dennis is just one of many print publishers exploring opportunities in the mobile industry. The Sun newspaper recently launched a mobile portal in the UK, powered by payment technology from Bango.net. The Financial Times also offers a mobile service in several formats.

These issues will be covered in the MEX session entitled: “Media opportunities, MVNO partnerships and alternative business models” on 7th September. Ray Anderson, CEO of Bango.net, and Steven Trew, Head of Mobile Services at FT.com, are both speaking at MEX.