78 Million SMS Messsges for Amierican Idol Breaks Record, Says AT&T

By Editor Wireless and Mobile News on May 23, 2008 10:35 AM

AT& announced t that the company has shattered its text messaging record of 64.5 million by generating more than 78 million messages this season of “American Idol” — the most popular show on television.

Since AT&T introduced text message voting in season 2 of FOX’s “American Idol,” text messaging has continued to play a significant role in the Idol interactive experience. In fact, during last week’s hometown visits, a new text messaging component was used to inform the final three contestants of the Producer’s Choice selection via their Apple iPhones, an AT&T-exclusive handset.

By texting their votes this season, AT&T’s wireless customers helped crown a new “American Idol” champion, David Cook, and made it possible for AT&T to capture a new text messaging milestone for television’s No. 1 show.

“There’s no question that Idol fans are texting in huge numbers,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T’s wireless operations. “We rolled out a lot of great Idol-themed content this season that kept fans engaged and connected. From ‘American Idol’ trivia, special sweepstakes, TXT chats, vote number reminders and, of course, voting, there were plenty of opportunities for AT&T customers to enhance their favorite Idol moments.”

AT&T’s sponsorship of “American Idol” helped put text messaging on the map. Back in 2003, when the text message voting component was first introduced to the show, text messaging was still a relatively new technology and almost exclusively limited to the youth market. Today, text messaging has become almost as popular as voice communication as a way to stay connected while on the go.

This season, AT&T conducted an informal poll on its website to get a sense from customers about the role text messaging has played. Poll results are based on the 416 responses submitted March 7 to May 5, 2008.