Cingular to launch streaming service

Verizon Wireless has 24 and Lost, Sprint has Jay Leno and now Cingular Wireless has Tony Soprano. Cingular is kicking off its 3G video service with one of the biggest names in TV entertainment, signing an exclusive deal with Home Box Office for video content from the hit show Sopranos and other programs.

Scheduled to launch early next year, Cingular Video will be the carrier's first multimedia streaming service and will be timed with the launch of its consumer UMTS services, allowing customers to access the bandwidth-heavy content at speeds as fast as 320 kb/s.

Cingular has announced no other content partners for the service yet, but it promises a full compliment of news, sports, weather and entertainment channels and clips, bringing it on par with its competitors Sprint TV and Vcast. HBO, however, is likely to be Cingular Video's flagship product. The 3G service will offer selected full episodes and highlight clips from shows like The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage and other HBO drama, comedy and family content. Cingular is also trying to build buzz for the upcoming video launch by offering supplementary content to current MEdia users. It is putting themed messaging, ringtone, wallpaper and casual games, all revolving around the TV series, on its content deck.

"As this platform continues to evolve, we obviously want to be in business with the most innovative team in the wireless space," HBO chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht said in a statement. "We also found in Cingular a partner that has great respect for the power of our brand."

While Cingular and HBO promise "bonus materials" exclusive to the mobile platform, they did not say if they intended to create original show content for the deck similar to what ABC and Fox have done for their popular shows Lost and 24. Fox has created a completely new version of the spy thriller 24, parallel to the TV series, which takes place over 24 minutes instead of 24 hours. ABC meanwhile took a different spin on Lost, creating a show that deals with stories of the minor characters in the TV program about plane crash survivors cast away on a mysterious island.