Starz Entertainment, which has an existing partnership with AT&T’s U-Verse, just joined AT&T’s Mobile Barcode Services Charter Program. Starz Entertainment, which plans to use the technology for its action drama “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena,” a prequel to its “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” series, plans to experiment with this mobile technology to see if it’s an effective way to interest customers, via offers that highlight the network’s original programming and movies.
For “Spartacus,” Starz Entertainment’s marketing division will create specific print and outdoor advertising, which users can scan to get special offers and additional information on Starz’s other programs and movies. Starz plans to use this genre of mobile marketing to enhance its existing marketing and reach out to viewers on other platforms.
AT&T launched mobile barcodes as a direct-response platform for brands and consumers in August 2010. The results of a recent AT&T survey reported that 80 percent of consumers are interested in scanning barcodes with their mobile phones, and 69 percent intend to use the technology to redeem coupons and discounts.
Starz Entertainment, a pay-TV company, has 16 premium channels with two main brand names: Starz, which has 17.4 million subscribers, and Encore, with 32 million subscribers.
