NEW YORK - With the new ScoreCenter iPhone app to complement existing mobile offerings including SMS polls and ad-supported alerts, a much-trafficked mobile Web site, games, live video and video on demand, ESPN is staying at the forefront of mobile publishing.

According to sports publishing giant ESPN, the iPhone phenomenon has helped to change clients' perception of mobile, and apps have provided publishers and advertisers a way to provide utility and entertainment. The publisher discussed these topics and went into its mobile strategy in depth at IAB Marketplace-Mobile.

"The tide is shifting, and mobile finally has a seat at the table -- as overall usage of mobile Web and mobile video are up and mobile publishers reach scale, it has increased advertisers' interest," said Brian Colbert, director of mobile ad sales for ESPN, New York. "Mobile is now part of the discussion from a media standpoint, and mobile is definitely something clients want to hear more about.

"Significant budgets being dedicated to mobile and clients are thinking more strategically to make a big splash with their mobile initiatives, and it's become a watershed product for us and all publishers," he said. "Mobile used to be a cool, bright, shiny, new toy, but there wasn't enough scale for advertisers.

"However, we now have enough scale to make this a great advertising vehicle for brands, and brands are thinking about mobile in ways they weren't thinking about the channel before."

ESPN ScoreCenter for iPhone and iPod touch is a free app available in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Portuguese.

The ScoreCenter app features real-time scores, live game updates, game summaries and stats for nine major sports.

The app includes real-time scores for 500 leagues, including MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, NCAA, NASCAR, PGA and tennis.

"Mobile enables fans to be better fans and always stay connected, and we're giving fans the content they want on their phones," Mr. Colbert said. "Mobile is a connection hub for all of our media platforms, and cross-platform is not a zero-sum game -- mobile wraps in elements of all of our mediums together and connects all media.

"If you consume TV you're going to read the magazine, and if you're visiting ESPN.com regularly you'll visit ESPN Mobile regularly," he said. "For guys being dragged to Bed, Bath and Beyond every weekend like me, this is the only way to stay connected with your teams."

ESPN has a dedicated staff working exclusively on mobile, including a separate mobile news team, and the company offers content created and optimized specifically for the mobile platform.

"Our mobile offerings are programmed by fan behavior," Mr. Colbert said. "What we do in mobile is informed by our fans and how they want to consume the content.

"Having multiple media touchpoints helps us form a deeper connection to fans, with TV to mobile with fan opinion voting, polling and video; digital to mobile with apps, SMS and mobile only editorial; print to mobile with interactive ads, SnapTell 2D bar codes and SMS short code marketing; and radio to mobile urging consumers to call in or text in and talent chats."

While the presentation focused on ESPN's various mobile initiatives, the session was not without its controversial statements.

Specifically, ESPN subscribes to the notion that mobile publishers are competing with ad networks and thus should sell their own mobile ad inventory.

"Ad networks were an easy way to buy mobile, and ad networks do work for some clients in some instances, they do have a place, because they helped create more buzz about mobile and increased the education process, which has helped all of us, but we've heard from clients that content does matter," Mr. Colbert said.

"Ad networks only exist because we let them exist," he said. "A lot of other premium publishers we talk to agree, if you think about long-term strategy, we're not competing with other publishers necessarily, our biggest competition is the ad networks

"Ask yourself, ?Is letting the ad networks have your inventory the best way to move the industry -- and your business -- forward?'"