Vice has announced several new partnerships around mobile content across original production, licensing, direct to consumer and Viceland programming, as well as a vast rollout in the Asia Pacific region.

 

 

The announcement, made by founder and chief executive Shane Smith at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, will aim to accelerate the company’s multiplatform offering and make inroads into the mobile content market, delivering to over 80 territories by the end of 2017.

“When we first started to roll out our global terrestrial TV program, people thought I was nuts, ‘going backwards’, and a victim of my own hubris,” said Smith. “Today we announce our first batch of international mobile deals that we will now marry with our TV platforms and digital platforms to offer a comprehensive three screen/one screen/OTT platform-agnostic media company that offers our content at all times – everywhere.

“As I sit here at Mobile World Congress with our new partners putting pins in a map and adding hundreds of millions of new eyeballs to our audience, I am excited by two things – a) the future, and b) the albondigas and Sangre del Toro that I will be enjoying as soon as our world domination plans are wrapped up for the day.”

One of the main areas of expansion includes the launch of Vice+, a subscription video on demand service providing original and curated content in Japan. The company has also made major deals in Indonesia with XL Axiata and iflix, as well as Vodafone is Australia to create original local content.

In the licensing spectrum, deals have been made with AbemaTV and Verizon in Japan and the United States.

Vice has extended its partnership with Fido in Canada and reached a new agreement with Partner Communications in Israel to expand Viceland content to mobile platforms by allowing each provider’s subscribers to access the full slate of programming 24/7, through the Vice app, and on Partner’s OTT platform through the first offering of its kind in their respective countries to provide authenticated, mobile access to a linear channel’s programming.

“We’re all about connecting our customers to content and experiences that they love,” said Fido Solutions vice president Nancy Audette. “We know our customers crave cutting-edge content and want to be able to access it how and when they want, which is why our partnership with Vice is a natural fit.”

“We are proud to join forces with Vice, as their innovative content offering and disruptive approach is in line with our vision for the soon-to-be-launched Partner TV service,” added Partner Communications chief executive Isaac Benbenisti.

This latest advance comes as part of a major global expansion, which last year saw the unveiling of several international deals including its major move into Indonesia. In December, Vice partnered with The Guardian and SpotX in video deals.