MUMBAI: The broadcast world and telecom operators are keen on joining hands to churn out content for third-generation phones to offer entertainment clips.

China's state-owned television firm Mediacorp and Singapore's media regulator Media Authority of Singapore will release a Chinese drama series on 3G phones by the end of June before screening the show on television.

The drama series PSI Luv U features Asian heartthrobs like Roy Chiu and Chen Yi Rong as well as popular MediaCorp artistes. The show is slated to launch in Singapore by the beginning of 2006.
 
PS I Luv U will also be streamed by regional telecom operators on mobile handsets in other parts of Asia, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia, according to media reports.

Unlike traditional TV content, the production of 3G mobile content takes into account the unique characteristics of video streaming and factors such as visual composition on mobile screens, the length of each episode and the highs and lows in the plot development.

Mediacorp plans to produce at least 10 3G drama series totalling over 200 mini-episodes next year. Mediacorp also has plans to export several of its original entertainment programme formats to broadcasters around the world.
 
Last year, Twentieth Century Fox created a series of one minute dramas based on the show 24 exclusively for high-speed wireless services being offered by mobile major Vodafone.

The mobisodes, as they're being called, were introduced in May 2005.

In 2001, Japan's NTT DoCoMo was the first operator in the world to launch its 3G service. But the service failed to take off in a big way because of poor geographical coverage, sluggish feeds and pricey handsets.

Across the world, broadcast and cable networks have jumped onto the 3G bandwagon, rushing to churn out content for mobile phones and collaborating with telecom operators to provide entertainment clips that can be aired over the wireless network.