[2007-12-14]

Index and Yomiuri Television bring the popular animation `Yatterman` to mobile

- Services launch with Japan’s 3 major mobile carriers on December 14, 2007
- Mobile content linked to new animated “Yatterman” TV series beginning January 14, 2008

Tokyo, Japan, December 14, 2007 - Index Corporation (President: Yoshimi Ogawa, Head Office: Tokyo), an Index Holdings (President: Masami Ochiai, Head Office: Tokyo) subsidiary, and Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation (President: Koji Takada, Head Office: Osaka, Japan) have announced the launch of a cooperatively developed mobile site for the widely popular animated character “Yatterman” on Japan’s 3 major carriers (NTT DoCoMo, KDDI, Softbank Mobile) starting December 14, 2008.

“Yatterman” first appeared on television in Japan in 1977 and quickly became a national success. The 30th anniversary of “Yatterman’s” debut is now being marked with a new animated series. The series is scheduled to begin January 14, 2008 on Yomiuri Television, in affiliation with Nippon Television. The official “Yatterman” mobile site launches on December 14, 2007, and promises to feature content that satisfies the character’s established fan base and excites new interest. Content links between the animated series and the “Yatterman” mobile site are also highly anticipated.

“Yatterman” Content Overview
(Free Content)
- Program background
- Upcoming announcements (text & video)
- Character and voice actor introductions
- Merchandise and event information
- YTV animation mail magazine links
* Content is regularly updated

(Charged Content)
- Wallpaper Images (distribution begins December 14, 2007)
- Voice Tones (distribution begins December 14, 2007)
- Movie Tones (distribution begins January 14, 2008)
- Ring Tones (distribution begins in 2008)
- Streaming Video (planned for January 2008)
- Decorative Mail (planned for 2008)

Mobile Site Access
Menu ⇒ TV (Kansai Region) ⇒ YTV (Yomiuri Television) ⇒ Yatterman
(URL: http://yatterman.tv)

*Company, product and service names are each registered trademarks belonging to their respective companies.

About “Yatterman”
“Yatterman” is a Japanese animation classic that became widely popular shortly following its initial broadcast in January 1977. Thirty years later, Tatsunoko Production and Yomiuri Television have come together to cooperatively produce a new version of the animated series to begin airing Sunday nights from 7pm on January 14, 2008. The national wave of “Yatterman’s” resurgence is set to continue with the release of Nikkatsu’s live action, full length cinema feature in the spring of 2009.

Episodes from the 21st century “Yatterman” will feature distinct new story lines that preserve many of the favorite characters and values portrayed in the original series. Audiences can expect to find material adapted from recent headlines and trends, but altered with light-hearted and entertaining twists. The new “Yatterman” series will both transport generations of audiences back to nostalgic memories of the past, and create a generation of new memories for the children viewing new episodes today.

Looking forward, Index and Yomiuri TV aim to expand the scope of new mobile services linked with television programming. Index Group companies will also apply their strengths towards driving the success of “Yatterman” and the development of a broad range of entertaining content.

Index Group Mobile & Media Business
As mobile continues evolving into a fully interactive media, a wide variety of distinctive new services are being woven into the stream of daily life. The Index Group of companies is at the leading edge of mobile media development and strives to meet consumer demands on a global scale.