Mobile content provider Thumbplay has partnered with MTV Networks to enhance its mobile offerings for MTV, MTV2, MTV Hits, MTV Jams and MTV Tr3s.

MTV will now allow subscribers to personalize their content for MTV Mobile via Thumbplay's platform. Subscribers can choose from features such as ringtones, applications, games and wallpapers.

"This is part of our continued push to build an off-deck business," said Jeremiah Zinn, senior vice president of syndication and operations for MTV Networks, New York. "We've had a subscription service for about a year and now what we're doing is expanding it through Thumbplay.

"One of the things that we are really trying to do is expand our offerings," he said. "Some offers you see are just for things like free ringtones but part of MTV's core is music, so what we really want to do is draw a subscription based around music so we integrate our offering around events.

"Thumbplay is fantastic at managing a subscription service, and so we're really working with them to help our existing user base and grow."

Music fans can buy MTV-branded content, which is also integrated into MTV's television programming, a la carte or via subscription-based credits on the online or via mobile site at http://www.mtv.com.

Subscribers will also have access to an online content locker that automatically backs-up purchased items to their account.

MTV will advertise the new service with radio marketing, online and via MTV Mobile's WAP sites.

Since its founding in 2004, Thumbplay has supported mobile content on an estimated 2,000 mobile devices, offering nearly 100,000 pieces of mobile entertainment content such as music, videos and games.

MTV Networks has about 150 channels worldwide, and owns and operates television programming services such as MTV: Music Television, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Comedy Central, TV Land, Spike TV, LOGO, CMT, Noggin/The N, VH1 Classic, and MTVN International.

Viacom is MTV Networks' corporate parent.

"MTV will market the service and, from a marketing perspective, it is interesting because they will contextually integrate the ringtones and videos into the service," said Are Traasdahl, founder/CEO of Thumbplay, New York.

"So if you are watching a music video on the MTV network, a blurb will pop up to show when and how you can text to download it," he said.

"It is also an interactive component, so it is pure brand building, but also contextually integrated so viewers can immediately send a text message to receive the download."