Sports Fans Twice As Likely to Watch Videos on Mobile Phones

According to the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA) data, TV and internet now far outstrip other media at sports fans' peak viewing times and twice as many sports fans watch video via mobile compared with the average mobile user (12% vs. 6%).

[via Celluar News]

AT&T Mobile TV Launched in 58 U.S. Markets

AT&T, which is about a year behind Verizon Wireless in the Mobile TV market, has announced that subscribers in 58 areas around the U.S. can sign up for the company’s new mobile TV service.

[via MobileCrunch]

DoCoMo Phone lets you watch TV underwater

That title from I4U certainly caught my attention. And the photo above does indeed show the phone immersed in water.

"Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo unveiled 19 new mobile phones in the 706i and 906i series. One of which, in the 706i line includes the new F706i water-proof 1Seg digital TV mobile phone. "

Shared Solitary Serial Experiences

Two Tokyoites - on the right of the photo engaged in the same task watching the same television program on their mobile phone each using their own device, with comments passed back and forth. Shared experiences, yet personal device ownership gently separating the experience compared to current norms.

A fabulous picture from everyone's favourite Jan Chipchase.

TV at 140 Miles Per Hour

Digital sub-channels have not exactly been raving successes, writes Bits Blog.

"So the broadcasters would love to find something else to do with their additional spectrum. One solution may soon appear next year in the form of mobile television technology, a system that will allow you to watch digital TV while you’re on the move, using a PDA, cell phone, or your laptop. As you cruise down the freeway, the signal will never disappear.

The idea is that broadcasters can transmit local programming to mobile devices, so when you’re driving on the Long Island Expressway, for instance, you can pick up the latest sports scores, or learn all about the cat that got stuck in the tree in Bensonhurst. And broadcasters can make additional revenue by selling ads."

Samsung joins forces with LG, Harris on mobile TV

Samsung Electronics is combining efforts with fellow Korean electronics maker LG Electronics to develop a new standard for mobile TV broadcasts, the companies announced Wednesday.

Their technology will be competing with two others to become the standard for mobile TV, a decision that rests with the TV industry's technical standards-setting body for digital broadcasts.

[via Reuters]

NBC Streaming Full Episodes of 30 Rock and the Office to iPhones

NBC is streaming full episodes of 30 Rock and The Office to iPhones (and touches) in Quicktime, for free, with no ads.

[via Gizmodo]

Mobile TV Spreading in Europe and to the U.S.

Every day in Switzerland, 40,000 people watch a 100-second television news broadcast on their cellphones. In Italy, a million people pay as much as 19 euros each ($29) a month to watch up to a dozen mobile TV channels. The New York Times reports.

"... Japan is the leader in direct mobile television, with 20 million cellphones equipped with TV receivers, followed by South Korea with 8.2 million, according to In-Stat, a research and consulting firm in Scottsdale, Ariz.

In-Stat estimated that there were 29.7 million mobile TV viewers worldwide at the end of 2007. That is expected to almost double, to 56.9 million, at the end of 2008, driven by growth in Japan.

Italy has been an early leader in Europe, with service beginning in 2006. The largest mobile TV broadcaster on the Continent is 3 Italia, a cellular operator owned by Hutchison Whampoa of Hong Kong, with 800,000 customers, about 10 percent of its total phone clients. The million Italian viewers watch up to a dozen channels."

AT&T launches TV service on new phones, rivaling Verizon

AT&T Inc. is launching its new video service for cell phones Sunday on two phones, and will charge $15 per month for 10 channels. AT&T will have two exclusive channels on the service, it said Thursday. The Associated Press reports.

"AT&T already has a mobile video service called CV, which is based on different technology. It works like Internet video, providing short clips on demand.

This new service is more like regular TV broadcasts, constantly streaming shows on airwaves that run alongside regular cell-phone spectrum. Judging by V Cast Mobile TV, which is available on four phones, the quality is much higher than on-demand cell-phone clips.

... The only AT&T handsets that will initially work with the service are the ones that are going on sale Sunday: the LG Vu, a touch screen phone and the Samsung Access."

Apple iTunes to compete "day-and-date" with DVD releases

Apple is expected to announce today an across-the-board deal to sell new release films at its iTunes Store. The deal is said to allow Apple to offer a "broad slate of top-shelf films" day-and-date with home video releases.

"... The deal includes Fox, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal, Sony Pictures, Lionsgate, New Line and more -- all of which are currently inked to deliver rentals through iTunes. MGM is not part of the deal.

[via engadget]

Full-length shows, even movies, growing on cellular

Forget short clips and "mobisodes." Cellphone providers are ramping up their full-episode TV offerings, from "Lost" to "The Office", and even movies. USA Today reports.

"Today, only about 7% of mobile subscribers (cell and data) watch video on their phones, he says. But the industry is poised for major growth: Mobile video revenues at domestic carriers jumped to $308 million in the last three months of 2007 from $112 million in the same period a year earlier, according to Nielsen Mobile.

... Mobile users are willing to watch for extended periods, says Nielsen Mobile's Nic Covey. Nearly half (47%) say their average session lasts 15 minutes or longer; 25% watch 30 minutes or more.

Says Covey: "Enough consumers watch mobile video for those lengths of time and enough consumers are interested in name-brand programming that this level of mobile viewing could be just as big an opportunity as clips."

Local TV Station Owners Push Mobile TV

According to the AP, owners of more than 800 local TV stations where ad revenue has plunged recently said they've formed a group that's testing three standards for s ending local digital TV signals to cell phones, laptops and other mobile devices.

"The Open Mobile Video Coalition said at the National Association of Broadcasters meeting in Las Vegas that it will push for an open standard by next year that would allow members to bypass cell phone companies and tap into what they think will be a $2 billion market for mobile advertising.

The station owners say transmitting directly to mobile devices would give them a third means of delivering local programming - and capturing revenue - along with broadcasting to TVs and streaming it on station-owned Web sites."

New Satellite Will Supply TV To Cell Phones

A satellite that could affect cell phone service headed for space Monday afternoon, reports Orlando's Wesh 2.

The satellite is designed to provide 10 to 15 live television stations for mobile phones in the future. It is powerful enough to not require a dish to receive broadcast.

It's first-of-its kind technology. It cost an estimated $500 million to build, launch and test the TV satellite."

Web firm to offer TV streaming to iPhone

According to The Guardian, two leading UK broadcasters are exploring a service that would allow live streaming of their programmes to Apple's iPhone.

"London-based web TV technology specialist Best Before has developed server-based technology called Millicent that allows a broadcaster or other content producer to provide an edited video feed to be watched on the iPhone without needing to hack into the handset.

iPhone users would be able to view live TV on their handset through Safari, the Apple device's web browser, using a local wireless network. The iPhone's data connection through the Edge network would also work but would be less reliable."

Fox Business Channel debuts on MobiTV

Mobile entertainment services provider MobiTV announced a content licensing deal to offer Fox Business Network as a live, linear channel identical in programming scope to the version broadcast on cable and satellite.

Fox Business on MobiTV features live, full-length linear programming including Fox Business, Money for Breakfast, The Opening Bell, Happy Hour, Cavuto and America's Nightly Scoreboard.

[via FierceMobile Content. More in press release]

'Sopranos' on Canadian cell phones

Bell Canada on Tuesday began delivering full episodes of "The Sopranos" to its mobile phone subscribers as part of an agreement with HBO.

The Canadian phone giant's customers can also now watch on-demand episodes of "Entourage," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Tell Me You Love Me" and "Sex and the City" as well as stand-up comedy shows for CAN$10 ($9.75) a month plus browser usage fees.

The product is initially available in English-speaking Canada, with a dubbed French-language version set for launch in May.

[via Reuters/Hollywood Reporter]

1.2 Million Mobile TV Users In France

There is now 1.2 million mobile TV users in France—Orange has 1 million and SFR has 200,000, according to ScreenDigest.

Both these servicese are over the 3G network, and ScreenDigest reckons that by the end of the year France will overtake Italy as the biggest mobile TV market in Europe

[via MocoNews]

Free TV shows may air on cellphones

Local US broadcasters are quietly planning to beam the stations to cellphones, video iPods, in-car DVD players and other gadgets that would be equipped with TV tuners. The high-quality digital broadcasts likely would start after the transition to digital TV ends in 2009. USA Today reports.

Sprint Launches Original TV Programming for Phones

Sprint jas just launched SEE (Sprint Exclusive Entertainment), its own network of original TV programming, at no extra charge to customers.

"SEE's brief on-demand programs average approximately two minutes in length and focus on three major areas - sports, music and entertainment news. The programs are shot at various on-site locations and at a brand-new studio managed by production partner Intersport. SEE delivers more than 150 programs each week that are hosted by well-known personalities. "

[via Mobiledia]

P.&G.'s Web Installment

The company that brought soap operas to radio, then television, Procter & Gamble, is trying the same strategy online with “Crescent Heights,” a new show intended to reach young viewers where they watch the most — their PCs and cellphones. The New York Times reports.

"The series, which is more sitcom than soap, focuses on a recent college graduate, Ashley, who moves to Los Angeles from Wisconsin to start a career in public relations, and her emerging circle of friends and romantic interests. Written, directed and produced by Hollywood veterans, the three-minute episodes are as polished as any television sitcom.

“Crescent Heights,” which Tide is promoting on its television commercials, print ads and packaging, is too new to affect sales. “The reaction so far has been great,” Mr. Crociata said. “We feel like we’ve hit on something that’s entertaining and, in our testing, has shown it’s influencing purchase intent.”

Mr. Crociata said the series, which was taped in an initial set of 10 segments, will help Procter & Gamble evaluate its broader strategy regarding online entertainment. At least one other Procter & Gamble brand, Always feminine care products, has rolled out a scripted online entertainment series."

TV on Cellphone Screens? No thanks, say Europeans

Europeans' interest in watching mobile television is as tiny as cellphone screens, a new study showed on Monday, even though the industry has been buzzing about offering TV on handsets for years. [Reuters reports]

"Only about 5 percent of Europeans expressed interest in watching television or video on their cellphones in the next 12 months, the Gartner study said. At the same time some 20 percent of Asians said they would watch TV on their phone screens."

Telecom steps into sports TV

France Telecom has taken its first tentative steps into broadcasting with the launch of IPTV service Orange Sports TV.

The channel will feature sports news, broadcast via the Internet and direct to Orange mobile 3G network subscribers.

[via Variety]

Software lets users watch movies from PCs or TV on mobile phones

Digital technology company DigitAll World together with SK Telecom announced on Monday that it is developing a software application that lets users watch movies from their home computers or TVs on their mobile phones. Digital Chosunilbo reports.

"Called Orb, the application streams media such as videos saved on home computers or broadcast on TV over the wireless Internet to mobile devices."

Free TV channel aims for Internet content

All you need to launch your own television channel is a mobile phone with a camera, Finnish technology startup
Floobs said on Thursday, reports Reuters.

Floobs plans to offer a free television channel for everyone, enabling people to run live shows or pre-recorded material, for no charge, starting later this year.

The company opened a Finnish-language testing service this week and aims for a November launch of an English site, targeting groups and communities which do not get airtime on established television channels."

Mobile TV Technically Ready, Waiting On Business Model

Mobile TV is more or less ready to go in the US, it’s just waiting for an invitation to the party, reports Moco News. “The big problem, analysts say, is people aren’t yet willing to pay for TV on cell phones. That’s slowing a potentially big market for makers of cell phone TV chips...

”People were excited about it—until they learned they had to pay for it,” said Yoram Solomon, director of standards and technology strategy for Texas Instruments .

Advertising is surely part of the answer, but there’s also an argument for a mixed model...this is going to be the big challenge of the mobile content industry—getting the business model right."

Image from Fox News

World's TV shows on your cell phone

WhereverTV founded and led by Mark Cavicchia, has developed a Web site that streams live programming from 1,200 international TV channels using high-speed Internet and a computer. Pittsburgh Live reports.

By year's end, users will be able to download the programming using a high-end cell phone, such as a Nokia Nseries, that connects to a TV.

Channels broadcasting shows, news, weather and sports from about 100 countries are available and can be arranged in a guide by language, country or genre.

Interested in Ivory Coast programming? How about English cricket? An Italian movie? It's all on WhereverTV for free -- the company will make money off advertisements, not subscriptions, Cavicchia said.

Other Web sites offer similar streaming services but charge a fee.

By the end of October, Cavicchia will unveil a box that attaches to a TV set and a broadband connection, and streams the channels to that TV. The box, which will cost about $200, replaces the need for a computer to access the programming."

E! Launches Multimedia News Series

E! Entertainment Television will launch E! News Now, an expansion of its online entertainment news content. The multimedia series will cover breaking news with video segments specifically designed for non-linear platforms.

E! aims to produce twelve video news segments a day at two minutes each, featuring reporters Ashlan Gorse and Valery Ortiz. The segments will be made available on broadband, and by mobile phone.

[via Broadcasting&Cable]

David Letterman and Ferguson appearing on cell phones

Monday night's telecast of "Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" can now been seen on Verizon Wireless's V CAST video service, contactmusic.com reports.

"CBS and Verizon announced Monday that the two late-night talk shows will be available the day following their regular broadcasts -- commercial-free.

They can be viewed on mobile phones as "a series of video shorts," Verizon said in a statement, noting that they'll be replaced every day by the network's latest episode of the late-night shows."

Idol goes mobile in Australia

The Idol reality-TV talent series really has become omnipresent, with Telstra in Australia the first telco to offer the program srteamed to mobile phones. Rapid TV News reports.

"Telstra’s NextG third-generation mobile subscribers can sign up to receive each episode of the show streamed to their cel phones, with five minute programs specifically made for mobile subscribers. During the Network Ten advert breaks, extra “behind-the-scenes” live footage will be inserted.

Users will also be able to access on-demand content, have SMS alerts sent to them, download wallpapers and ringtones as well as access a “community” mobile internet site.

Telstra has long been a sponsor of the show in Australia".

Mobile TV Flourishes in South Korea, But Fails to Generate Profit

As Europe and North America try and sort out competing technology standards for mobile television, the digitally advanced nation of South Korea is already watching everything from news to cartoons, and sports to comedy on their mobile handsets. [via Teleclick]

"Approximately 7 million South Koreans, or one in seven of the country’s residents, routinely make use of mobile TV services on cell phones, personal media players, handheld computers, vehicle navigation systems, or other portable devices.

“Pretty soon, phones doubling as TVs will be as ubiquitous as camera phones now,” predicts Song Sang Hoon, the director in charge of mobile TV at South Korea’s Ministry of Information & Communication, which has pushed carriers to offer the service.

The government’s aggressive role in promoting and regulating mobile TV, however, may have caused the service to evolve too quickly for a solid business model to emerge, preventing carriers from generating a profit with the technology.

Details of South Korea’s mobile TV situation were explored by Business Week on August 3."

Television is a turnoff for mobile users

TV on mobile phones has got the thumbs down from UK users, despite operators spending millions trying to get them to tune in, reports The Guardian.

"... Certainly the latest monthly statistics on mobile phone TV viewing in the UK, compiled by M:Metrics, are bleak reading for operators who have invested millions in it. The UK has about 45 million users of mobile phones. Of those, 3.9% - about 1.7 million - have watched user-generated video on their mobile, sent by family or friends at least once a month.

On its own, that's not a bad number: you can build a big business on 4% of a population. But the numbers plummet on mobile TV: just 321,000, or 0.7%, watched broadcast TV on a mobile at least once a month; and 386,000, or 0.9%, watched any commercial programmed TV or video on a mobile at least once a month."

The Race for a Mobile TV Standard

Nokia and Qualcomm are competing to supply a new global norm. The winner could reap billions in new business. Business Week reports.

"For now, those set against setting a standard are getting their way. There are at least six different contenders competing in the European market and still others emerging globally. Japan has developed its own standard, and China appears to be going its own way. But none of the mobile TV standards is compatible and all require significant infrastructure investment." Read full article

Buzzwire Launches Beta Service

Mobile phone service Buzzwire launched its beta service today, reports TVWeek.

"The company lets users create a lineup of video and audio feeds from local, national, international news, traffic, weather, sports and entertainment to play on their mobile phones.

Buzzwire is part of a new crop of companies that deliver Internet TV programming to mobile phones."

[Press release]

Virgin ditches mobile TV service

According to The Guardian, Virgin Mobile has decided to dump its broadcast mobile TV service after less than a year because of poor customer take-up.

"... Five-channel Virgin Mobile TV (VMTV) was launched last October with a £2.5m advertising campaign fronted by former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson. But it failed to take off with customers, partly because only one rather chunky handset - nicknamed the Lobster phone - was ever available.

Earlier this year the Guardian reported that less than 10,000 people had signed up."

EU backs standard for mobile TV

The BBC reports that European officials have backed a single standard for the rollout of mobile TV services across Europe.

"Telecoms commissioner Viviane Reding has called on member states to roll out services using the DVB-H standard "as quickly as possible":

Wait-and-see is not an option. The time has come for Europe's industry and governments to switch on to mobile TV"

Some key players have questioned why Brussels rather than the market is deciding what the standard should be.

And analysts warn it could see the UK fall behind unless regulatory issues are ironed out."

[via Techmeme]

LiveStation to bring Live TV to your cell phone, soon

If you dream of being able to watch CSI: Miami or Survivor on your cell phone while you dash out to the store for some snacks, take heart: Livestation, a Web TV service created by Microsoft and a software company called Skinkers, might soon make it possible. Newsfactor.com reports.

"LiveStation, which would enable high-quality viewing of live television programs on a PC or other computing device, is being touted as an alternative to technologies like
Joost that enable PCs to show pre-recorded TV programs, but not live shows.

Unlike Joost, LiveStation is a peer-to-peer technology, which means that once the PC acquires programming, it can be shared with other devices like a set-top box or, at some point, a cell phone. "

Related: - Microsoft announces Joost killer

Live TV on cell phones better than you'd expect

Live TV finally comes to cell phones -- full-length on-air programs in full-motion video, with an interactive program guide, without annoying "buffering" lags, and with the ability to instantly surf channels. Newsday reports.

"Channels from industry titans like CBS, NBC, Fox, MTV and ESPN.

Verizon's new V CAST Mobile TV service -- newly available around New York City and other major metro areas -- is light years ahead of Verizon's V CAST clip streams and Sprint's PowerVision TV I tested last year. Verizon Mobile TV finally makes real television broadcasts portable in a convenient, efficient way. It really does replicate the in-home viewing experience.

... So you're not watching phone TV. You're watching TV. Period."

[via TV Barn Ticker]

Mobile TV Is Like Sushi: Report

The Vienna-based Institut der WU has issued a report (commissioned by 3) which claims that consumers will not be able to resist mobile TV, and compared it to sushi.

"According to the study, mobile TV is a trend, which - like sushi - is first met with resistance and sceptism, but once accepted very addictive. One must have experienced mobile TV in your own hands to realise you can't live without it" reports Broadband TV News.

The study spoke to 52 experts and 232 consumers in Austria, Germany and Italy, and more than 53 percent of the respondents said they could imagine watching TV on their mobile up to 30 minutes a day.

[via Moco News]

EU telecommunications chief favors European mobile TV standard

Viviane Reding, the telecommunications chief of the European Union, said Thursday that she would support the European mobile television broadcasting standard over U.S. and South Korean rivals when the commission decides next month which one to back. IHT reports.

"The lack of a single standard has held back wider use of television broadcasts on cellphones, but EU support for digital video broadcast handheld, or DVB-H, technology could be the decisive factor in the battle between half a dozen standards."

China expected to watch mobile TV free next year

Recently, the base patent holder of China's domestic mobile TV industry announced that a patent fee of China Mobile Multimedia Broadcasting (CMMB) will not exist within the next two years, and then a one Yuan patent fee will be collected in a representative manner.

This means that it will be possible to use a mobile phone to watch TV for free in 2008. At the same time, the industry standards of the CMMB will enter the commercial age. [via People's Daily Online]

Yes, the Screen Is Tiny, but the Plans Are Big

The New York Times reports on big media's plans in bringing video content to mobile phones.

"ESPN, CBS and MTV, as well as news organizations like The Associated Press and the Hearst Corporation, are investing in original cellphone content. After all, there is no other medium that most people carry with them everywhere, and some media executives are wagering that consumers will fill their empty moments — however fleeting — with mobile media content.

... Many mobile-content providers assume that consumers with more than a few minutes to spare won’t be attached to their cellphone screens. Yet executives at broadcast networks like ABC say that this assumption is worth challenging, and they are betting that consumers will also watch longer-form content on their phones. Last month, ABC began showing full-hour episodes of shows like “Lost” and “Grey’s Anatomy” on Sprint’s network.

Albert Cheng, executive vice president for digital media at ABC, says people may think that short-form content works best on cellphones simply because that is the bulk of what has been developed. “We’re all experimenting,” he says. “I don’t think any of us really knows what people want on mobile.”

But one must really look beyond America to see where TV on mobile phones is going. According to an article in the BBC, services in Japan, South Korea and Italy are attracting millions, confounding critics who said people would not watch TV on a small device.

Hurdles to mobile video

Despite the increased bandwidth and improved capabilities of the mobile-phone networks in the U.S., relatively few people use their cell phones to watch video -- according to analyst Mark Donovan of M:Metrics, less than 2 million people watched programmed TV on their mobiles. The Los Angeles Times reports.

One of the problems is the existing business model that does not offer a report on the number of people who see an ad. There is no single standard for measurement for mobile-phone carriers.

Another reasons is that carriers have been handicapping the market by charging too much for mobile video services; some of the early offerings were 40% to 50% of the price of the typical mobile voice service.

Other hurdles include bandwidth, the supply of video-capable handsets, the programming that's available, and consumers' lack of awareness. There's also the issue of finding what's available.

French Mobile TV Delayed Until Summer 2008

Franch mobile users won’t be won’t be watching TV from DVB-H on their mobile phones this fall.

While the launch of broadcast mobile TV was planned to kick off this autumn in time for the Rugby World Cup, a conflict between French mobile operators and broadcasters has led to a delay - until at least next summer.

Broadcasters seem to want an advertising funded free-to-air service, while mobile operators were looking at a paid service, and so far both sides have been unwilling to budge. Until this is resolved mobile TV from DVB-H will remain off the air in France.

[Screen Digest via TechCrunch]

Mobile TV will reach 244 million by 2011, says report

TV enabled handsets will reach a staggering 244 million devices by 2011, according to a new report, writes The Register.

"This is almost double the number previously forecast, and was reached by a detailed look into the likely mobile TV launch dates and the uptake rate expected in 55 countries.

The report was published in the US by Multimedia Research Group, but was written by Rethink Research Associates in the UK.

"There are over 80 mobile TV trials all over the world and already there are a handful of services launched. The bulk of those trials are already committed to turn into genuine services, in some cases with a nationwide footprint, in other countries in limited regions," said report author Peter White, principal analyst at Rethink.

This forecast is not including video services which are streamed over a cellular network, because that has largely been a slow burn business, due to its low screen resolution and the careful management it needs so that it doesn't interfere with voice."

China Launches CDMB Mobile TV Technology Standard

The China Association for Standardization has approved and issued the China Digital Multimedia Broadcast mobile TV handset standard as the association standard, CSA158-2007. [via China Tech]