Las Vegas, Jan 25 -- Drawing on the mobile success of American Idol and the experiences of its sister companies in the text-mad U.K. and Asia, Fox parent News Corp is rolling out a range of made-for-mobile video content in the U.S. from next month.

"We're at the intersection of two great industries, and are so far beyon d simple SMS text messages," News Corp's svp of content, Lucy Hood, told delegates during her NATPE Mobile++ keynote Monday.

What started with text-based soccer alerts from UK affiliate Sky Sports back in the 1990s has evolved into live mobile auctions on Star Plus in India through to Channel [V] content beamed to 3G cellphones in China.

The next phase in News Corp's foray into the new world of mobile video is a deal between subsidiary Twentieth TV and Verizon Wireless to bring 52 one-minute original 'mobisodes' of bespoke dramas Love & Hate and Sunset Hotel to the mobile operator's new V CAST service.

"Soaps are back and with these shows, we can glimpse the future of our industry," said Hood, adding that Fox's mobile spin-off of hit thriller 24, titled 24: Conspiracy, will also come to the U.S. via Verizon next month, having already debuted on

Vodafone in the U.K.

Hood also said that cellphones now outnumber televisions by a long way.

"Globally, there are now 1.3 billion mobile phones and only 1.1 billion television sets."

In the U.S., there are 170 million and 109 million respectively, a fact that Hood said offers opportunities. While text use in the U.S. is behind Asia and the U.K., Hood said American Idol is driving the uptake of the new medium. The previous season of the show clocked up 14 million SMS votes, 80% up on season two. "40% of voters were using SMS for the first time," she noted.

(Source: NATPE Daily)