The N95

While some media companies are joining carriers, others are bypassing them altogether, in favor of beaming directly onto the handset.

Sony Pictures, News Corp., and CNN have closed deals to distribute directly to the N95, an iPhone competitor created by Nokia, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Nokia "quietly" embedded links onto the N95 that connects users directly with media content, including News Corp.'s Jamster and Jamba sites, and free "mobisodes" of hit series 24. Nokia plans to do the same for its other handset models eventually, and has deals across the globe. For content via CNN, the cmpany will embed links into handhelds in the Asia/Pacific region.

Media companies have long been searching for a way around the carrier deck, typified as "crowded, confusing places that take too high a revenue share."