Mobile: Hands-On Mobile Pairs Up with NBC

Author: by Scott Armstrong, Modojo.com

Hands-On Mobile announced today a deal with NBC Universal to develop Flirting by Blind Date, a mobile chatting application that will provide users with the opportunity to flirt, chat, and apparently "date" each other through their mobile phone. After answering a series of quick questions about their dating preferences, users will be paired up with others whose preferences match their own. Participants can set up dates via text messages, or just engage in some playful flirting. "This is a terrific extension of the Blind Date brand into the mobile space," says Betsy Bergman, Vice President, Marketing, NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution. "We're excited to be teaming up with Hands-On Mobile as they are leaders in the mobile game arena." This announcement is the latest example of traditional mobile game publishers expirimenting with videogame/social network hybrids. Digital Chocolate's MLSN Sports Picks and AirPlay's AirPlay Live Football are two recent titles that have found success marrying gameplay with light social and community elements, or light gameplay with more prominent social functionality. With more than 1,100 episodes since it launched in September of 1999, NBC's Blind Date reaches an audience of several million viewers nationwide.