SMS news
Posted by MelissaUlbricht on Aug 24, 2010
Small Screen, Big Picture: Jasmine News and SMS News Delivery in Sri Lanka data sheet 3915 Views
Basic Information
Organization involved in the project?:
Project goals:
Jasmine News sends between 60 and 90 SMS news updates per month to subscribers on general topics such as politics, law, current events, business, sports, and entertainment. The goal is to provide accurate and speedy news information, for a low fee, to all mobile users in Sri Lanka.
Brief description of the project:
In 2006, Jasmine News began sending SMS news headlines to subscribers in Sri Lanka, the first to do so in the country. Today, the service sends 60 to 90 messages a month to 170,000 subscribers, who pay Rs.30 per month ($0.30) for the service.
Jasmine News provides brief news headlines sent via SMS on general topics including politics, law, current events, business, sports, and entertainment. The organization also has a website, though content is mostly of SMS length. SMS messages are available in multiple languages, including Sinhala, Tamil and Singlish (Sinhala in transliterated English).
To become a subscriber, a mobile user types a code such as "reg JNW" and send its to an established shortcode (2233) to subscribe for the push service. A local number is required.
Target audience:
The target audience is mobile users in Sri Lanka. To receive SMS news updates, a mobile user must subscribe for Rs.30 per month ($0.30). Subscribers must also have a local number, though Jasmine News partners with 6 mobile providers to ensure that news can be delivered to subscribers on any network in the country.
Detailed Information
What worked well? :
At 170,000, Jasmine News has a notable number of paid subscribers. According to one of the founders, SMS news headlines fill two important needs: inclusion and empowerment through information. And it does so at a price that many people can afford: Rs30 per month.
First, the environment was ideal. With 15 million mobile phone subscribers in Sri Lanka, there was a clear need for an affordable and convenient method to receive news via phone, Ariyadasa said.
Another success for Jasmine News comes from a good working relationship with many telecom operators in Sri Lanka. This ensures that news can be delivered to subscribers on any network in the country.
What did not work? What were the challenges?:
A rather obvious problem for paid subscription-based models is that text messages are easy to forward. But, a founder of Jasmine News said that is not a large issue because while people do forward content, it costs more to forward (at $0.05 per SMS) than to actually subscribe at $0.30 per month for 60 to 90 messages.
Links to any evaluations/reports/research:
Posted by CorinneRamey on Feb 01, 2008
A community SMS news program -- Alô Cidadão! (Hello Citizen! -- brings information about jobs, educational and cultural events, and local news to low-income people in Belo Horizonte in southern Brazil. The messages have been overwhelmingly popular -- over 90% of subscribers forward the SMS to family or friends and rely on the text messages for daily information. Watch our video interview, taped at MobileActive07 in Sao Paulo Brazil. The video, shot on a Nokia N95 mobile phone, features Alô Cidadão! coordinator Daniel de Araújo and interpreter Mary Anne Matos.
