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10-Sep-2009
by Diana Jovin
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Free is key to making TV mobile in Europe
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IBC Official Blog
Mobile TV is finally here. At least it is for many. Global forecasts are looking promising with Juniper Research predicting that the global user base for mobile broadcast TV is likely to exceed 330 million by the end of 2013. However, despite this optimistic outlook, Europe is still lagging behind other regions, so what is holding up mobile TV adoption?
Early on in the development of mobile TV, mobile devices were not as capable as they are today. The underlying technology wasn’t available which meant handsets could not easily receive terrestrial broadcast signals. But, after a bit of thought, the European Commission took the lead, by endorsing DVB-H as the preferred technology standard for mobile TV broadcasting.
Despite DVB-H (and other mobile TV standards) potentially resolving the issue of how to deliver TV to mobile devices, the need for new infrastructure, additional spectrum and development or licensing of content left mobile operators, broadcasters and consumers unsure of how much it would cost to roll-out mobile TV, and what it would actually look like to end users. However, there was a solution that was proving successful in various markets globally; an approach based on providing users with the content they are used to seeing on their TV at home.
Developments in technology have made it possible to pick up broadcast TV on your mobile, tapping into the analogue signals to provide free and familiar content on handsets. In many global markets, broadcast mobile TV is already a mass market feature, embedded in handsets from companies like ZTE. In Japan and Korea, for example, mobile TV is available on a wide range of handsets, not just high-end devices. In fact, In-Stat forecasts that the number of free-to-air analogue mobile TV users globally will hit 54 million this year, expected to increase to 300 million by 2013.
Market growth of free-to-air mobile TV has been spurred by a number of factors; cost, availability and convenience. For operators and broadcasters, there is no need for significant upfront investment or the development of new content. Already in Latin American markets, leading operators are using the provision of free-to-air mobile TV enabled handsets to influence customer acquisition and retention. For consumers, the TV feature adds value to the mobile experience, providing them with broadcast content that is readily available, and giving them access to their favourite programmes conveniently on the move.
Free-to-air mobile TV has a lot of potential. It can be used as a stepping stone to generate additional revenues from related or premium services, such as simultaneous texting alongside TV viewing. As consumers become accustomed to viewing free-to-air mobile TV on their handsets, they are likely to become more receptive to the introduction of paid-for premium TV services. Either way, the free-to-air approach has the potential to make mobile TV in Europe an extension of the TV experience in the home, whereby people can access content they want, on the move.
About the author
Diana Jovin serves as Vice President of Corporate Marketing and Business Development, responsible for leading the company's communications and marketing programs and directing the company's growth and expansion into new markets. Jovin brings more than fifteen years of leadership experience to her role with a proven track record in enabling companies with disruptive technologies to establish leadership positions in new market segments. Prior to Telegent, Jovin served as CEO and co-founder of CascadeWorks, which pioneered the services e-procurement market. She subsequently served as Vice President of Marketing & Business Development at Elance, which acquired the company in 2002. Prior to CascadeWorks, she served as Director of Marketing at NetDynamics, which established and led the application server software market and was acquired by Sun Microsystems in 1998. Jovin has also consulted with numerous private and public technology companies on the development of go-to-market strategies, partner programs, and positioning and messaging platforms. Jovin holds an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley and a BA from Harvard University.
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