[July 08, 2004] MFORMA Establishes Local Subsidiary in China; MFORMA China Prepared to Answer Huge Demand for Mobile Entertainment KIRKLAND, Wash. & SHANGHAI, China --(Business Wire)-- July 8, 2004 -- MFORMA Group Inc., a leading global publisher and distributor of wireless entertainment content, announced today the establishment of MFORMA China, a local Chinese subsidiary of MFORMA Group, Inc. MFORMA China is based in Shanghai and is fully licensed and authorized by the Chinese government to do business in China. The company will distribute mobile games and services directly to wireless operators throughout the entire country. With nearly 300 million wireless subscribers today, projected to grow to a half billion by 2008, China is the largest and fastest growing wireless market in the world. "We are prepared to take full advantage of the enormous wireless market and demand for wireless content in China," said Daniel Kranzler, MFORMA CEO. "We have established a local Chinese corporation with local management and personnel and are obtaining direct distribution licenses in China, authorizing us to distribute content throughout the entire country through all mobile operators and portals. Our desire has been to establish a strong, local, in-country presence as the best way to understand and meet the needs of wireless operators and subscribers in China." MFORMA has been working in China for nearly a year and is already providing entertainment applications to China's largest mobile operator through partnerships with several of China's leading content service providers. From now on, MFORMA China will directly provide Chinese mobile operators with content and will continue to translate more of its top selling games for the Chinese market and will source titles from around the world to distribute in China. In addition to Shanghai, MFORMA has opened offices in Beijing to facilitate the growth of MFORMA's content distribution across China. "Mobile games and entertainment are thriving in China," said Glen Lu, MFORMA vice president for Asia. "The two big Chinese operators are focused on mobile entertainment as a way to drive data revenues, and the leading portals are seeing tremendous activity with wireless content uptake. MFORMA is perfectly positioned to deliver the best entertainment content from around the world to the expansive Chinese population hungry for great international content." According to ARC Director of Research and Senior Consultant Rupert Reid, the future looks bright for mobile entertainment services in China. Total mobile entertainment revenues are forecast to grow from $1.1bn in 2004 to $3.6bn in 2008 at a CAGR of 37%. Much of this growth will be fueled by the games sector, where total revenues are predicted to top $1.06bn in 2008 on the back of a burgeoning market for multiplayer and downloaded games. Other notable revenue generators which are worthy of note include mobile music and video services, which are forecast to yield $1.03bn and $519m, respectively, by 2008. (For more information on ARC's Mobile Entertainment Applications & Markets strategic report, from which these figures are taken, please contact Nathan Knight on +44 (0)20 7017 5555 or email [email protected]). MFORMA Group, Inc. now comprises MFORMA Americas, MFORMA Europe, MFORMA Korea, and MFORMA China. About MFORMA Group, Inc. MFORMA (www.mforma.com) is a leading global provider of wireless entertainment content. MFORMA provides wireless operators and their customers with the world's best content and brands, and provides developers and brand owners with the shortest route to market. MFORMA's customers include more than 100 of the world's leading wireless carriers. In addition to the industry's most comprehensive catalog of Java, BREW, SMS, MMS, and WAP games, MFORMA also provides sports, lifestyle, and information services subscription products. MFORMA's carrier-grade platform manages the delivery of downloadable games and applications for some of the world's largest carriers. With MFORMA, wireless operators can choose to utilize any or all of the MFORMA resources -- tools, platforms, and/or content. MFORMA is headquartered in Kirkland, with facilities in Los Angeles; San Diego; Cambridge, England; and Seoul, Korea. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]