McDonald's launches online content service

Chicago (IL) - McDonald's, along with the digital content company Akoo, today announced that its flagship store in Schaumburg's Woodfield Mall has rolled out "M-Venue," a wireless service that allows customers to stream music and videos while eating a Big Mac.

The platform enables guests to search through and play from a selection of music, music videos, and movie trailers, including some from Sony BMG, Universal Music Group, and Sony Pictures.

Songs and videos will be made available in "designated multimedia zones within the restaurant," like on one of the 10 flat-panel TVs that are installed throughout the location. M-Venue also has a proprietary digital store where customers can purchase and download content on their mobile phones. The service can be accessed from a mobile phone, or from a laptop or PDA that's connected to the Internet. McDonald's says that M-Venue is offered as a complimentary service "for a limited time".

McDonald's said that it will roll out the service in other restaurants in the Chicagoland later this year.

McDonald's has been playing with technology ideas to attract more people to the restaurants. Numerous McDonald's throughout the country have been remodeled with flat-screen TVs and wireless Internet connectivity.

Mark Raby is a freelance writer for Tom's Hardware, covering a wide range of topics, from video game reviews to detailed analyses of computer processors.