• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, January 6, 2014

AT&T wants to make it easier for mobile customers to watch a movie trailer, new game promo or other bandwidth-slurping ad content through a new program that lets marketers pay the related data costs. Under the initiative called Sponsored Data, companies partnering with AT&T can pay for the data customers use to consume their content or services.

The sponsored material that AT&T customers see will be labeled as “Sponsored Data” and the usage will appear on their monthly bill with the same designation but with no charge. In addition to trailers and games, the program could also include content tied to campaigns for new devices or apps, health-related videos, or loyalty program information.

AT&T suggested that companies could even use Sponsored Data to pay for the data employees use for specific business-related apps and services. The carrier also promises that sponsored material will be delivered at the same speed and performance level as other content.

The three companies initially on board to use Sponsored Data are ad tech firm Aquto, app developer and m-commerce software provider Kony Solutions and UnitedHealth Group, which will use the service to stream educational videos to mobile devices.

AT&T said content providers and other businesses can use Sponsored Data with existing mobile sites and applications and distribute sponsored data across many mobile devices and operating systems. “Additionally, the unique developer portal Web site includes intuitive features which allow sponsors to manage their offers, check billing and measure impact of offers using a robust analytics engine,” stated the announcement Monday.

The carrier is trying to latch on to the content marketing trend that took off last year on the Web, with the added enticement of having marketers cover data costs. User reaction will ultimately determine the level of enthusiasm among agencies and marketers for the ad offering. If the program does catch on, the data subsidies from advertisers will only help AT&T further accelerate growth in that area. In the third quarter, the nation’s No. 2 mobile operator saw wireless data revenue climb 17.6% to $5.5 billion