O2 LookAtMe heralds common channel for users' mobile video.

O2 has become the second mobile network operator in the UK to launch a user-generated mobile video channel letting consumers get paid each time their video is watched.

The move is set to lead to the establishment of a common user-generated mobile video channel across operators for brands and media companies to interact with consumers.

O2's LookAtMe service follows the huge success of 3's SeeMe TV, also from Yospace, which generated 4m downloads in its first four months.

Last month Emap struck a deal with Yospace to launch its own user- generated mobile video channel, Zoo TV. However, the ultimate aim is for brands and media owners to be able to launch services across multiple operators on a common channel.

Yospace is currently signing up further operators and its CTO, Dave Springall, said he hopes to see the establishment of such a cross- operator offering "in the next six to nine months".

"Each operator has its own offering but there's the ability to have one category that spans all of them - a common category rather than a common service," he said. "Media brands can work on top of the platform for national services and the benefit to operators is that it attracts people to their portals."

O2's service lets subscribers with 2.5G or 3G phones submit videos to 32323, to be displayed on its portal O2 Active. Each time a clip is downloaded the originator receives 3p from the 35p its costs to download.

The initial gallery includes categories such as 'Open mic comedy' and 'So bad it's good'.

LookAtMe is being promoted on O2 Active and the O2 Web site, with above- the-line marketing to come.

Unlike SeeMe TV, O2 said it has no plans to launch adult content.

Grahame Riddell, head of content marketing at O2, hinted that the service may be expanded to the Internet in the future. "Marrying broadband's speed with the benefits of mobile charging would create lots of exciting opportunities to make LookAtMe an even more compelling service," he said.

o2.co.uk/fungames/lookatme

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