Peacock Equity, a joint venture between GE Commercial Finance’s Media, Communications & Entertainment business and NBC Universal (NYSE: GE), has invested in mobile search and messaging provider 4INFO. The amount of the investment was not disclosed, but 4INFO CEO Zaw Thet said the total round came to $15 million, including $10 million from Gannett back in June. NBC Universal has also signed up 4INFO to insert ads into its SMS services, which include voting, fan clubs and alerts across nearly all of its operating divisions including entertainment, news, local, sports and cable entertainment. 4INFO sells the ads (it has other, smaller customers and sells ads across channels like “sports” or “entertainment”) and NBC Universal can also sell the ad space if they want. 4INFO is developing targeted ads based on the profile of the user’s aggregated activities—since they have their phone number. “From an ad perspective we’re teh only people right now working with [NBC Universal] cross-property,” Thet told MocoNews. He sees the deal as an indication of the move to free, ad-supported SMS services.

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4INFO will also get a boost from having NBC Universal promote its other services across its network, including TV, online and WAP, beginning in early 2008. The other big media customer promoting the service is USA Today, owned by Gannett.