O2 and 3 UK are combining their user generated video services—O2’s LookAtMe! and 3 UK’s SeeMeTV—to launch EyeVibe, to create what they claim is UK’s largest open access mobile video community. Members of the service upload mobile videos to the mobile site of eyeVibe, which other members can interact with, either through messaging and voting, for example.

The videos are priced at 10 pence ($.20) to play them or download them, with no additional data usage charges for O2 and 3 UK customers. For those accessing EyeVibe off portal, the clips are still priced at 10 pence, but also incur a data usage charge if the user does not have a flat rate data plan. Creators of the uploaded videos receive a 1 percent cut of the revenue each time it is played or downloaded. (The operators also give a cut to technology provider Yospace, which created the platform the service runs on). According to O2 and 3 UK, which did not break out the figures, since the launch of SeeMeeTV in October 2005 and LookAtMe! in June 2006, users have been paid for more than 32 million video downloads—earning over £800,000 ($1.6 million) for the 60,000 clips submitted.

3 UK’s lead product manager of user generated content Jane Wilding acknowledged that operators “traditionally work alone,” but that in terms of bulking up social networks or socially driven services, this “did not make sense,” noting that one only needed to look at MMS and its surge in growth once operators agreed to allow each other’s messages through to see that interoperability drives usage. Wilding added that they hoped to bring other operators on board, though nothing was yet planned.

O2’s head of user generated content Grahame Ridell noted that the service was bringing in “pure revenues,” not just boosting the uptake of data plans. He also added that they hoped that by giving users a cut, it would encourage better content being submitted, and attract even more users. The content is vetted before it is allowed in the library for inappropriate content and for any material that violates copyrights.