LA Biz Observed
 
Bio • Email • Archive
 

 

Who needs a court when "Turbo Tennis" allows you to play the game on a mobile phone? Anyway, that's the idea behind a deal between the L.A.-based Tennis Channel and Bellrock Media. The partnership will have Bellrock working on the mobile side and the Tennis Channel marketing it. The mobile-game market is expected to reach $350 million by the end of the year, from $25 million in 2003. And both companies say there's plenty of room for growth - it's estimated that as many as two-thirds of the nation's 200 million cellphone subscribers have never played a game on their cellphone because they are unaware of where to find one. As explained by Gamasutra:

Players can use power-ups like "Voodoo Storm," which conjures clouds and lightning to paralyze the opposing player for a moment, or the "Ball and Chain," which clutches onto opponents' legs, slowing them considerably. The use of these power-ups is crucial as the player faces off against nine eccentric challengers, such as "Bitter Ballerina," "Heavy Metal Mike" and "Nihilist Nadia." Turbo Tennis is available for download on major carriers for $5.99 by sending the text message "TURBO" to "TENIS" (83647).
> | More
© 2003-2011   •  About LA Observed  •  Email the editor
Mark's latest news
and commentary
 
 
LA Biz Observed
by topic
Economy and jobs
Media, books & Hollywood
Politics and labor
Travel, food and life
Technology
Land and real estate
Wealth and poverty
 
 
New at
LA Observed
 
6:50 PM Thu | Largest crowd for a Walk of Fame star ceremony that many could remember, outside the Capitol Records tower on Thursday. Photo by Gary Leonard.