Vodafone Netherlands: Vodafone reports on World Cup with Kieft and Van der Gijp

Maastricht, 10 April 2006 - Over the next few months, the ex-football internationals Wim Kieft and René van der Gijp will be reporting for Vodafone's Mobile TV on the events leading up to and during the FIFA World Cup(TM). The reports will partly be broadcast on normal TV too during news and sports programmes. The football duo can be seen as well in a new series of amusing Vodafone commercials that will be broadcast on television from Wednesday 12 April.As ex-international players themselves, Willem Kieft and René van der Gijp have a personal insight into the way in which the Dutch footballers are preparing for the football world championship and into how the Orange Feeling is taking hold of the Netherlands. With their extensive football expertise and great sense of humour they offer the normal and mobile television viewer an 'insight view' into the world of the football world championship, before and during the tournament. Exclusively for Vodafone customers they will be making reports for the mobile phone.

The cooperation between Vodafone and Wim Kieft and René van der Gijp, is part of Vodafone's ongoing plan to attract the attention of the general public to the exclusive mobile television offer by means of striking, creative local TV productions. The two ex-football internationals are the first Dutch football celebrities to make television programmes for mobile phones too, embracing the new opportunities that the mobile phone has to offer and using them to the full.

Definite breakthrough in watching TV on a mobile
In November 2004 Vodafone started the mass introduction of consumer services that make use of its UMTS network, such as Mobile TV, VideoCalling and MusicDownloads. Now, one and a half years later, Vodafone customers can choose from the widest range of high-quality telephones in combination with the largest mobile television and music service currently available on the market.

With the acquisition in February 2006 of the mobile broadcasting rights for the FIFA World Cup(TM), Vodafone is underlining its leading position in the Dutch market and is taking yet another unique and significant step forwards in offering television on the mobile phone. A step that satisfies the ever-increasing need of customers for relevant and affordable new value-adding mobile services and the increasing requests from the entertainment industry to be able to provide television and music via the mobile phone. Vodafone has the unique mobile rights to and contracts with 35 TV producers and stations worldwide, including Discovery Channel, CNN, MTV, Fashion TV and HBO with "Sex and the City" for example and Dutch producers such as Talpa and RTL. The continuously increasing demand for and availability of TV programmes and content, contracts with major producers in the Netherlands and internationally, and the rich offering of football that Vodafone is bringing to the market, means that watching television on the mobile phone is definitely making a breakthrough.

Vodafone Libertel N.V.
Vodafone is one of the Netherlands' largest mobile telecommunication companies and is a member of the worldwide Vodafone Group, the world's largest mobile community with nearly 180 million proportionate customers in five continents, equity interests in 27 countries and Partner Networks in a further 32 countries.

Credentials Vodafone WK campagne 2006

Agency:
PPGH/JWT

Creation:
Bart Kooij / Nico Akkerman

Strategy:
Paul Sijtsma

Account:
Céleste Slijters / Alexandra Jongkind

RTV:
Danielle van Berkel / Carine Crielaers / Marije Braber

Director:
Bart Timmer

Producer:
Sytkse Rijkens / Lars Siemens

Production company:
Czar

Editor:
Taco Arts

Post production:
Postoffice

Music:
Massive Music

Sound:
Earforce

Responsible within Vodafone:
Robert Bohemen/Esther Spaans

Source: Vodafone