i-POP, CNN Asia announce mobile services partnership

Singapore - CNN Asia has partnered i-POP Networks, an integrated mobile media services company to manage and implement pan-Asian mobile strategies for its programming offerings.

i-POP will run mobile services such as SMS contests, trivia and alerts services closely tied to the international network's programming offerings - upcoming initiatives include SMS polling for popular chat show ‘Talk Asia' and mobile trivia to mark the 50^th anniversary of ‘Larry King Live'. i-POP will also work on executing campaign initiatives for CNN's sister channel, Cartoon Network.

The partnership is part of CNN's efforts to promote its on-air assets and viewer interactivity through multiple platforms. CNN International had its first ever global television broadcast live from a mobile phone during the 3GSM conference in Barcelona in February this year.

"i-POP is thrilled to be appointed by Turner to augment its brands and drive viewer interactivity. With i-POP's experience in delivering mobile strategies for leading broadcasters, we hope to provide clients like Turner with a single point of contact to give access to more than 600 million subscribers in Asia Pacific," Colin Miles, executive vice president and co-founder, i-POP Networks said.

On a separate note, CNN has also announced the appointments of Ellana Lee as managing editor, CNN Asia Pacific and Phil O'Sullivan as executive producer in Hong Kong. Lee will oversee all programming and newsgathering resources in the region, including studio operations in Hong Kong. Both Lee and O'Sullivan will be based in CNN's Hong Kong bureau.

Current vice president of international newsgathering Parisa Khosravi has been promoted to senior vice president of international newsgathering, while Will King, director of operations for international newsgathering has been named senior operations director for CNN international.