BBC Children in Need raises £1.75m from mobile donations

The BBC Children in Need charity has raised £1.75 million from mobile donations for this year's event, with viewers giving £5 each via premium SMS.

Operators waived their charges for the initiative, which was powered by Mobile Interactive Technology's MIDAS platform.

Mobile internet agency Kilrush was also involved, designing, building and hosting the official Children in Need WAP site.

People donating via the mobile internet could sign up for Gift Aid, which added £1.40 per £5 donation - a potential extra £500k of revenue.

"BBC Children in Need's success really underpins an appetite for viewers to interact and participate via mobile," says MIT's commercial director Rob Weisz. "With the addition of Gift Aid via the mobile internet, as well as the traditional internet, the channel has really optimised donations."