Telefónica announces major mobile content play with Electronics Arts (EA).

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Telefónica announces major mobile content play with Electronics Arts (EA).

- O2 can now offer customers latest titles from the worldwide leader in mobile gaming. 

- Creates a powerful platform for building brand engagement, driving customer loyalty and increasing the take-up of games on mobile.

Telefónica Digital today unveiled its latest play in its global gaming strategy by entering a strategic relationship with EA Mobile™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq: EA), which will allow customers to access its world leading games on their mobiles. The service will be available first through O2 in the UK followed by other Telefónica markets.

The deal will give Telefónica's operating businesses the ability to create innovative gaming promotions using titles from the EA catalogue of consumer favourite brands such as The Sims™, FIFA or MONOPOLY. The objective is to make it easy for customers to find the games that they are familiar with and to drive the uptake of mobile gaming, particularly amongst feature phone users.

In the UK, O2 will offer its customers three months of free access to all EA Mobile games following their first download. It is then examining a number of potential promotions or special 'gaming subscription' services to offer customers.

'Our relationship with EA Mobile puts us as the epicentre of mobile gaming – which accounts for the highest percentage of downloaded Apps and is the largest paid mobile content market today,' said Matthew Key, Chairman & CEO of Telefónica Digital.  'By making a differentiated play in this most emotive and immersive entertainment medium we are fostering a much deeper connection with our customers – another significant step in becoming a true aggregator of experiences.'

Bernard Kim, Senior Vice President, Global Social and Mobile Publishing of EA Mobile said: 'Our mission is to deliver games that consumers love – anywhere, anytime, and on any platform they want to play. We know that at least a quarter of mobile users in Europe are playing games on their phones. Our relationship with Telefónica helps more people discover our games, and removes barriers for subscribers to enjoy an entire library of our most beloved titles.'

Industry analyst IHS Screen Digest predicts continued impressive growth in the mobile games business. Fuelled by rapid expansion in 3G adoption, smartphone and tablet gaming, the global mobile games market will be worth almost £8bn (€9bn) by 2015, almost double the £4.3bn expected in 2011.

Jack Kent, Mobile Media Analyst at IHS Screen Digest, said: 'Mobile games have been driving the wider mobile applications business, with games the largest content category on all leading application stores. As the mass appeal of mobile games increases, consumers are embracing new forms of content and business models, with free games monetised by micro-transactions – such as in-app purchases – driving growth.'

Telefónica Digital has not only underlined its commitment to O2 customers by offering the best gaming experience – through a combination of exclusive promotions and unbeatable value subscription services – but also opened significant new revenue growth opportunities through in-game advertising and media partnerships.

About Telefónica Digital

Telefónica Digital is a global business division of Telefónica. Its mission is to seize the opportunities within the digital world and deliver new growth for Telefónica through research & development, venture capital, global partnerships and digital services such as cloud computing, mobile advertising,  M2M and eHealth. Telefónica Digital will deliver these innovative products and services to Telefónica's 300 million customers as well as leveraging the power of the internet to enter new markets. It is headquartered in London with regional centres in Silicon Valley, Sao Paolo, Spain and Tel Aviv. Jajah, Terra, Tuenti, Media Networks Latin America, giffgaff and 48 are all part of the Telefónica Digital group of companies.

About EA Mobile

EA Mobile™ is the world's leading wireless entertainment publisher with award-winning games such as Tetris®, Bejeweled®, The Sims™, and Need For Speed™. The EA Mobile portfolio also includes casual games based on the company’s alliance with Hasbro, Inc. including MONOPOLY, YAHTZEE and SCRABBLE (in the U.S. and Canada) as well as sports blockbusters from the EA SPORTS™ brand, including Madden NFL Football and FIFA Soccer. EA Mobile develops games for multiple mobile platforms including mobile phones, smartphones, the iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch®. For more information about EA Mobile, please visit www.eamobile.com.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company's game franchises are offered as both packaged goods products and online services delivered through Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 100 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.

In fiscal 2011, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.6 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster franchises such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield, and Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.

For further information:

Nick Wilkins Director of Media Relations Telefónica Digital nick.wilkins@o2.com m +44 (0)771 2020937