Motricity Pockets Wireless Marketing Outfit

Aiming to expand its content distribution capabilities, mobile marketplace management firm Motricity has snapped up mobile marketing firm GoldPocket Wireless. The deal gives Motricity access to GoldPocket's big entertainment media clients like ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, TBS and Bravo, enhancing Motricity's existing customer base which includes Cingular, Alltel, Sprint, Leap and BET.

Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Motricity has focused its business on so-called "on-deck" content, or content that's distributed through mobile carriers. The acquisition now gives it a stronger hold in the "off-deck" content world through GoldPocket's relationships with content producers and distributors, allowing it to offer mobile content directly from those providers.

GoldPocket's technology allows its clients, most of which are entertainment content providers, to build mobile campaigns for particular shows involving things like fan clubs, sweepstakes or alerts.

Motricity's platform enables mobile merchandising and CRM for its customers as well as delivering mobile content such as games, ringtones, graphics and music. The pair-up will help streamline Motricity's content delivery process since it will no longer have to use a combination of several distribution partners.

According to GoldPocket Wireless CEO Steve Leonard, the newly combined firm will go by the Motricity name, though the GoldPocket crew will continue its current work from its Los Angeles office. "We're still executing on the same goals that we had last Monday," added Leonard.

Motricity will maintain its headquarters in North Carolina, he said, noting that the combined firm will have about 400 people on staff all together.