Short films specialistShorts International is to launch a short film channel'"Shorts Tv" - which willbe broadcast to mobile phones in a pioneering UK mobile TV trial led by NTLBroadcast.

The channel will launchalongside other established channels including Cartoon Network, CNN, Discovery Channel, Sky Sports News and Sky Travelas part of a 6 month trial due to start in September.

The 16-television channel trial will be received by 350customers of mobile phone service 02 in the Oxford area using the new Nokia7710 handset fitted with a special receiver.

Thetrial is designed to test and showcase the televisual capabilities of the nextgeneration of mobile phones and the channels will be delivered using broadcasttransmitters rather than through the mobile phone network.

Shortfilm has been of great interest to mobile phone operators with the onset of 3Gtechnology and the video capabilities it allows. Short films, by their verynature, fit perfectly with predicted consumer usage patterns, offering the viewershort bursts of high quality entertainment in manageable time lengths.

TerryHoward, head of media business development at NTL Broadcast, the companyputting this trial together, said: "The opportunity to have a bespoke shortfilm channel on board for this project is fantastic. While the more establishedTV channels taking part in this test will benefit from market intelligence onhow their offerings translate onto this different medium, Shorts TV will offerthe mobile audience something tailored to mobile use. "

Shorts InternationalCEO Carter Pilcher commented: "We are confident that our experience inprogramming short films across all different media will allow us to create anexciting channel for this new and challenging audience."

ShortsInternational has specialised in short film distribution for over 5 years andhas a library incorporating titles from the British Film Institute, America'sHypnotic catalogue, Spain's Morphe Art Pictures, The Royal College of Art andmany other international film bodies