• by Shankar Gupta , May 2, 2006

CBS Radio and Clear Channel Radio have sealed deals with mobile content provider MSpot to stream sports radio stations onto Sprint Mobile phones.

The deal will allow Sprint customers with MSpot-enabled phones to receive the sports radio stations live, for a fee of $5.95 per month. In addition to the monthly payments, the radio streams will contain advertisements.

The ads, however, won't necessarily be the same spots that are broadcast on the radio, due to rights issues and requirements from Sprint, spokespersons for Clear Channel and CBS Radio said. Neither spokesman would comment on the ad revenue split between Sprint, MSpot, and their own companies.

David LaPlante, CEO of Twelve Horses--a marketing firm that deals in mobile--said that selling mobile ads remains a complicated venture, requiring both new business deals and, sometimes, new creative units. Many of these requirements stem from concerns about carriers and handset compatibility. "This year, we're in a juvenile stage, where there'll be some awkwardness, and that's gong to last a little bit longer," he said. "You can't just take the ads as is and just say we're going to throw them onto this network."