Accenture bought Digiplug from Japanese mobile content firm Faith Inc for an undisclosed sum. Digiplus provides content production services to top music labels worldside and works with wireless carriers and wireless makers on their mobile content offerings.
Mobile content and services is a market where Accenture sees strong potential-the company cited analyst forecasts that the space would grow nearly 70% over the next five year to approximately $150bn. Of course Accenture can only tap into a small part of that figure, since the figure includes all the money that will go to content providers, royalties, distributors, and mobile oeprators.
Accenture spokesperson Tom Olson told Computer Business Review that so far, the areas is still dominated by regional-based companies, with little movement form big consulting and outsourcing firms into the market. Accenture hopes its entertainment and communications vertical expertise will help it make a strong foray into the mobile content market.
The company’s newly formed digital media services group will encompass Digiplug’s business and its own offerings in that area. Olson said the Accenture in the past has done some mobile content work in the past and has worked with some of the large US entertainment studios on projects. With Digiplug, the company hopes to round out more of its consulting and outsourcing offerings for content providers, distributors, and mobile firms.
Digiplug has some 60 employees, Olson said. Its main competitors include InfoSpace Mobile and Motricity in the US, plus German firm Arvato and optical content specialist Sony DADC in Europe.
