Submitted by Mike Grenville on Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:53

The SeeMeTV and LookAtMe! video services on O2 and 3 in the UK are being combined into a single mobile video community called EyeVibe allowing access for any UK mobile subscriber with a video-enabled handset.

Yospace launched ‘SeeMeTV’ in partnership with 3 in October 2005, and LookAtMe! with O2 in June 2006.

Members of the new EyeVibe community will be able to access the library of video captured from mobile handsets and also able to interact using messaging, voting and comment. The other UK operators are expected to also enable access to EyeVibe.

Although web access to YouTube is available via mobile, the videos are not scaled for mobile. Although 3 for example offers access to YouTube, only small selection of videos are available.

The cross operator designed for mobile video platform builds on what has been a success for operators. Since the launch of SeeMeTV and LookAtMe!, users have paid for more than 32 million video downloads earning a combined total of over £800,000 for users who have submitted more than 60,000 clips. The services currently generate 28 million mobile page impressions per month. Customers will submit clips via MMS to 60300 though O2 and 3 subscribers can also continue to use the 32323 number they used for SeeMeTV and LookAtMe!

The services allow subscribers to submit video clips captured on mobile phones into a human moderated gallery. While browsing the actual EyeVibe site will be free, downloading a clip on O2 and 3 costs 10p. 10% of the download revenue for a given clip is paid back to the original contributor through PayPal.

Just as with text and picture messages previously, opening access across networks is expected to be the major growth catalyst for what is already the UK’s most successful mobile video community.

Yospace is part of the Bauer Publishing Group following acquisition from Emap on 31st January 2008. Digital Marketing Director Chris Lawson, said: “EyeVibe will be backed by a substantial multi-media marketing campaign across Bauer’s UK consumer magazine, radio, internet and TV platforms, leveraging our reach to target 27 million UK households. ”

The EyeVibe service will go live later this month.