Universal Music Latin Entertainment (UMLE) Continues to Expand Direct-to-Consumer Mobile Offerings With m-Wise

World's Leading Latin Music Labels and Innovative Mobile Content Technology Company to Launch MOVIHITS

New Ringtone Subscription Service Offers Ultimate in Personalization for the Growing Hispanic Market

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Aug 02, 2010, 10:22 ET

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Music Latin Entertainment (UMLE), the world's leading Latin music company, today announced that it has expanded its lineup of mobile offerings for consumers with the launch of MOVIHITS, a new ringtone subscription service that it has created in partnership with m-Wise (OTC Bulletin Board: MWIS), the innovative mobile content technology company. The announcement was made today by Jesus Lopez, Chairman & CEO of Universal Music Latin America/Iberian Peninsula and head of UMLE, Skander Goucha, Senior Vice President of Digital for UMLE, and Zach Sivan, Chief Executive Officer of m-Wise.

MOVIHITS (www.movihits.com), which will launch today with a national advertising TV campaign on Univision Networks, will be billed through premium text messaging. For just $9.99 per month, music fans will get 22 credits for the first month (2 credits per ringtone) and then 10 credits every month following. The service will benefit from UMLE's marketing and promotion expertise, and will be featured across all of the company's marketing channels including national Hispanic TV and online properties. And while MOVIHITS will feature a majority of the world's most sought-after Latin music artists, it will also feature a broader array of ringtones from all genres of music, providing music fans with real choice.

"UMLE is committed to driving growth in our direct-to-consumer activities, especially with the U.S. Hispanic consumer," stated Mr. Lopez. "MOVIHITS is a key addition in this area that will allow us to continue diversifying our revenue streams and effectively leverage our broad marketing reach for maximum return."

"We are proud to contribute to this exciting venture of UMLE," commented Mr. Sivan. "As music becomes more and more diverse and accessible it also becomes more important to address specific preferences of the target audience. UMLE is addressing this challenge exactly and we are happy to support this effort with our technology geared towards personalized content."

"While Hispanics, especially the younger generation, are strongly embracing U.S. mainstream music and culture, they are at the same time very attached to their Latin roots and music," added Mr. Goucha. "At UMLE, we feel that there is a need to build more offers with content and programming that promotes equally Latin and Anglo Music. MOVIHITS will not only serve to open additional channels of artist and music discovery, but will allow us to achieve even stronger, direct connections with Spanish-speaking and bilingual music fans."

About Universal Music Latin Entertainment

Universal Music Latin Entertainment (UMLE) is comprised of Universal Music Latino, Machete, Fonovisa, Disa, Universal Music Mexico & Central America, the Edimonsa, Disa, Fonovisa and Universal Latin publishing catalogs, and GTS Global Talent Services, a management service division. UMLE is a division of Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 77 countries. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, the industry's leading global music publishing operation.

Universal Music Group's record labels include Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Disa, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Philips, Polydor Records, Show Dog – Universal Music, Universal Motown Republic Group, Universal Music Latino, Universal Records South, and Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog of music in the industry, which includes the last 100 years of the world's most popular artists and their recordings. UMG's catalog is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, its new media and technologies division; Bravado, its merchandising company; and Twenty-First Artists, its full service management division.

Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi, a global media and communications company.

About m-Wise

Founded in 2000, m-Wise (OTC Bulletin Board: MWIS) has rapidly established itself as a leading international provider of enabling technologies for the mobile entertainment and marketing industries, powering market leaders such as Thumbplay, Fox Mobile and Universal Music Group. m-Wise is the developer of MOMA platform, the de facto content management and service delivery platform used on or through over 50 mobile networks throughout Europe, North and Latin America, and Asia.

MOMA is an integrated "one stop shop" for mobile operators, wireless ASPs, content providers, and media producers to always deliver end-users with a state-of-the-art mobile experience. MOMA makes it easy not only to manage and deliver content like entertainment, music, games, and video without specific regard to handset compatibility but also adds real-time end user capabilities like voting, mobile marketing, advertising and access to live data. Better yet, MOMA includes transactional billing, customer care, and even marketing capabilities – all built in.

SOURCE Universal Music Group