Music videos have been added to 3 UK’s free mobile video service funded by the user receiving short video advertising clips. The new service is being provided by Rhythm Newmedia and offers content from Sony BMG’s music video collection.

3 UK head of on-portal advertising, Neil Andrews said that the company was aware that its customers wanted to receive high-quality content on their mobiles and that they were happy to view ads in order to receive it. “This agreement with Sony BMG and Rhythm Newmedia enables us to meet that demand with some of the best music content around. We were the first to market with an ad-supported mobile video service and now we’re building on that with the industry’s first mobile music service.”

Videos from Alicia Keys, Mark Ronson, and the Tings Tings will be indexed on 3’s music portal, and viewers will see adverts of up to 20 seconds before and after each song. Ads are targeted according to the age and gender of the customer.
Andrews said that mobile video was not seen as a geek or niche service by its customers, adding that the operator was the second largest retailer of paid-for digital music after iTunes, selling ringtones as well as tracks through its mobile website.