J9 is Jagran’s mobile biz, team in place

Jagran Prakashan is pressing the button in the mobile VAS space. Soon after etching an agreement with Yahoo! for an Internet portal, the Hindi language media publisher is focusing on its mobile division. Set up earlier this year, the division will be branded as J9, and will soon introduce a range of services for mobiles.

Jagran already has a short code, 7272, through which it provides SMS and automated voice services. Besides ringtones, ring back tones, wallpapers and the usual VAS offerings, the company plans to introduce a range of higher end services and applications.

J9 will have five verticals – digital content, text information services, contests, voice services and WAP. J9 Gallery will feature digital content such as ringtones, wallpapers, animation and video content, which will be developed inhouse. This makes up the basic services offered by most content providers.

J9 Talk will provide voice based services on topics such as astrology and entertainment. The messages will be both interactive and pre-recorded. Finally, J9 Interactive will be a WAP portal based on user-generated content. It will include a platform for chatting and dating.

“While the text based services have been developed for the micro-markets, the WAP portal is aimed at high end phones,” adds Dhal. A trading portal is also on the cards, and will be a peer to peer exchange for buying and selling products. As will be a WAP portal for ‘Dainik Jagran’ in Hindi.

While most of these services will be available within a month, the trading portal and talk services should debut two months down the line.

Jagran has plans to tie up with retailers across the country to promote its mobile services, for which it will put in place an on-field sales team. However, this will happen only in the second phase, after three months.

Jagran has made some key appointments for J9. Shekhar Suman, who was formerly with Indiatimes, has been appointed technology head. Anand Shukla and Rizwan Khan have been appointed business group heads. Shukla was formerly with Phoney Tunes and Khan with ‘Hindustan Times’ in the VAS division.

A Naveen, who was earlier with Madison Media Group, has been appointed group head, marketing. Pankaj Sharma, earlier with Airtel, has taken on the role of group head of carrier relationships at J9.

With big players such as Jagran getting into the fray, content providers are waking up to the medium. But what about mobile operators?

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