Overheard: AT&T and American Idol

You have to hand it to the hit FOX reality series: It’s putting SMS systems to maximum use, turning them into a giant cash machine. Om Malik, “American Idol” — Cook-ed by TXT Messages

Om Malik asks a good question. How much did AT&T make off those 78 million text messages? That’s a revenue stream I’ve never even considered. It’ll be awhile though. According to a survey by ExactTarget, 95% of U.S. online consumers have given at least one company permission to deliver messages to them by email — compared to 7% for text messaging. That may change when this next generation enters the workplace.

I’m guilty of sending a few txts earlier on. By the end, I was ok with whichever David won. In fact — I loved the duet they did together. It blew me away how well the timbre of their voices blended.