Bridget Jones reveals diary secrets to mobile users in Asia

Bridget Jones reveals diary secrets to mobile users in Asia RIOT-E rolls out original wireless content to support film launch ~ London, August 16th, 2001: Riot Entertainment (RIOT-E, www.riot-e.com), the global leader in wireless entertainment, is to give mobile phone users in Asia a new daily diary update from Bridget Jones. The company is partnering with Japanese operators NTT DoCoMo and J-Phone in Japan, Australia's biggest operator Telstra and market leader Globe in the Philippines. This will add a mobile dimension to the film's marketing campaign. The Bridget Jones's Diary SMS services were first launched in the UK in April . It provides fans who subscribe with original content through a variety of services including dating advice, dieting techniques, alcohol units consumed, thigh circumferences and self-help theories. RIOT-E is using the successful Bridget Jones brand for its new Asia service because of the book's popularity in the region. It is currently the biggest selling English-language novel in Japan. "Success in this market is all about understanding what type of content people want and providing them with it," said Darrell Purviance, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing at RIOT-E. More/... - 2 - "Bridget Jones's Diary has captured the imagination of readers in Asia, where the book enjoys a huge following. Helen Fielding has provided us with original content, not available anywhere else and this adds real value to our offering, " he continued. "At RIOT-E we are combining high-quality content linked to an exciting and world-reknown brand, with technology that allows it to be distributed via one of the most popular methods of communication." Bridget Jones's Diary, which has sold six million copies, has been translated into 25 different languages and published in 33 countries. RIOT-E has identified a huge potential market, with 47 million subscribers in Japan, eleven million subscribers in Australia, and six million subscribers in the Philippines. Asian users are increasingly using the text message as an entertainment tool as well as a method of communication with over 5 billion text messages sent every month in the region (Mobile Lifestreams). "The introduction of games like X-Men, The Punisher and SMS Murderer in the Asian market has shown us the potential that is there," said Jan Wellmann, CEO of RIOT-E. "This market is huge and still growing, and branded content has become the key driver." The content for the entertainment service is provided through an exclusive agreement between RIOT-E and Helen Fielding, the creator of Bridget Jones. As well as designing the content, RIOT-E also uses its own platform to distribute it to subscribers. More/... - 3 - NOTES TO EDITORS About Riot Entertainment Ltd (www.riot-e.com) Founded in February 2000, Riot Entertainment immediately established itself as the most innovative publisher, creator, and distributor of entertainment in the wireless sector. RIOT-E brings with it imagination and style that enables wireless gaming, communication and commerce worldwide. Games created by RIOT-E are promoted and co-branded in parallel with highly visible international media releases such as movies, TV-shows, and sports events. RIOT-E has successfully launched its Bridget Jones and X-Men mobile services with operators in Europe and Asia and has secured exclusive rights to mobile content based on New Line Cinema's "The Lord of The Rings" film trilogy. RIOT-E currently has offices in Helsinki, Singapore, Manila, London, Paris, Berlin, Rome and Los Angeles and employs 70 people worldwide. For further press information or photography, please contact Emma Hibbett or Caroline Rabjohn at LEWIS, the IT PR agency on: Tel: + 44 (0)20 7802 2626 Fax: + 44 (0)20 7802 2627 Email: emmah@lewispr.com caroliner@lewispr.com Web: http://www.lewispr.com ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/08/16/20010816BIT00760/bit0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/08/16/20010816BIT00760/bit0001.pdf