Rcrnews writes….Mobile television is still in its infancy—mostly gaining traction among early adopters and primarily young men—but the subscriber base has more than doubled from 3 million to about 7 million users in the past year, Kanishka Agarwal, vice president of mobile media at Telephia, said in opening remarks on a panel at last week’s CTIA Wireless 2007 event focusing on the outlook for mobile TV in 2007.
The star-studded panel of TV network executives and mobile TV enablers packed a large room to standing-room only capacity. Yet not one of them claimed early victory.
Sizzle reel after sizzle reel hit the big screen as each of the executives waxed poetic about the medium’s future. Meanwhile, in almost the same breath, they admitted shortcomings in what they’re calling the early days of the service.
“We are very firm believers in the experience on the cellphone and we believe that where we’re currently at is really the very, very early days,� CBS Mobile Executive Vice President Cyriac Roeding said. “If we don’t start today, we’re never going to get there quickly.�
He described CBS’ initiative in mobile as nothing short of developing a completely new network that demands 18 hours a day of entertaining programming—quite different from the traditional fervor aimed at the two-hour, prime-time slot. “I believe very much in this next step in mobile television,� he said. “This is really about a different user experience. This is less of a device than a user situation.�
Much of Roeding’s excitement is focused on the years ahead. He admits the current makeup of mobile television
doesn’t yet deliver the interactive user experience that he believes will push the service into more open arms, but he sees this as a logical step toward that direction and is anxious about the potential.
He said CBS is doubly interested in MediaFLO USA Inc.’s network because as a broadcast service it mirrors the advertising opportunities available to CBS on more traditional platforms.
“We have basically opened the gates to mobile advertising in a very big way with this service,� he said. “We’re starting to put advertising into video clips as well and starting to experiment with it,� but “at the end of the day, it’s about the consumer experience so we have to make sure the consumer has an advantage if there’s advertising connected to it.�
ABC Entertainment executive Bruce Gersh said it too is creating multiple channels on which to deliver its content. “We used to either have a film studio or a TV studio,� he said. ABC, however, is one of the few glaring absences on the current MediaFLO roster, though its ESPN brand is on the docket.
“Unfortunately with respect to MediaFLO, we just couldn’t come to business terms,� he said, marking the first official comment on the matter. Later, during a question-and-answer session, Gersh was pressed to further explain what broke down in the talks, and MediaFLO President Gina Lombardi joked, “You brought that on yourself, dude.�
Both companies are still talking, they said. “We plan to add additional content providers,� Lombardi said.
“Our goal is all about reach,� Gersh said, adding that if they can reach a fan at home, online and on mobile it would be a homerun for the major network. “We’re not looking at mobile as just a North American opportunity, we’re looking at is as a global opportunity,� he said.
Tammy Franklin of Turner Broadcasting, another notable absentee on the MediaFLO service, said the network has participated in all the major trials and is continuing to learn and refine its mobile strategy. The company recently partnered with L.M. Ericsson to develop and deliver its suite of news and entertainment content to the handheld.
“You know the service is really just launching. We really don’t know what people want to watch,� she said
“I think the exciting thing is to see how these commercial services are accepted in the marketplace,� said Salil Dalvi, general manager of wireless platforms at NBC Universal. “The full-length programming component is up and running.�
Paul Scanlan, COO and co-founder at MobiTV, said being one of the pioneers in mobile television has given the company exceptional foresight into the road ahead. “Don’t underestimate the progress that we have made and continue to make,� he said, adding that MobiTV has looked into broadcast options, but is hedging its bets elsewhere. “To be honest, we’re making our bet on WiMAX,� he said.
Scanlan argues that the quality of MobiTV, which runs over carriers’ 3G networks, is of the same quality as MediaFLO and that “they haven’t even put a dent in those networks in terms of capacity.� MediaFLO runs on a separate network committed entirely to broadcast mobile television.
Scott Wills, president and COO of Aloha Partners L.P.’s HiWire, stood out among the panelists as the only member without a “sizzle reel� and went with a PowerPoint presentation that offered statistics he claimed proved that DVB-H and HiWire were uniquely positioned to the lead the pack in terms of monetization, the wealth of content and costs on all fronts. He dove straight into the core business model of mobile television.
“A six-minute high resolution video clip loses money� on a unicast system, and carriers stand to make merely pennies on low-resolution video clips while they continue to enjoy handsome profits from SMS and other data services, he said.
Following the end of his slideshow, MobiTV’s Scanlan jumped in to call his slide on monetization “one of the most misleading slides I’ve ever seen in a panel like this.�
Wills said HiWire will be launching its initial market in Las Vegas next quarter and that a LG Electronics Co. Ltd. cellphone will be working on the T-Mobile USA network in a new trial.
Lombardi honed in on the fact that MediaFLO’s service is already in full swing, having landed multiyear deals with Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc., and it plans to launch in more markets and add additional content providers soon.
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Mobile-ent writes….Samsung sold 34.8 million handsets in the first quarter of 2007 and remains on course to exceed this year’s 133 million target.
Mobile came to the rescue of Samsung, which reported overall quarterly net income down 15 per cent to 1.6 trillion won from 1.88 trillion won a year earlier. The main reason for the fall was declining revenue from the company’s microprocessor division.
Indeed, mobile overtook chips as Samsung’s largest generator of profit and sales during the quarter. Profit from mobile rose 29 per cent to 600 billion won, while revenue rose 0.2 percent to 4.6 trillion won.
Samsung is the world’s third-largest handset manufacturer behind Nokia and Motorola.
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Mobile-ent writes….Buongiorno is to launch mytones, a showcase for self-created ringtones, with Telecom Italia Mobile.
mytones is available on wap and web and promises to reward musical talent in the ringtone sector, while establishing a new social network. Consumers can create and upload ringtones, which are then made available for streaming and downloading. Creators of highly-rated ringtones will be rewarded with prizes such as top-up credits.
Rising consumer interest in mobile music is the main reason for the launch –Buongiorno says more than seven million people in Italy downloaded at least one ringtone in the last six months.
The company believes the concept will work well outside of Italy too. Pierpaolo Cervi, Buongiorno’s country manager (Italy), said: “We see mytones as potentially appealing to mobile audiences also outside of Italy, in territories where TIM and Buongiorno work very closely, such as Greece and Brazil.�
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FierceMobileContent writes….In a move that proves MTV is increasingly slow in responding to the kinds of youth culture phenomena it once ignited, the Viacom-owned cable network announced the launch of its Mobile Media Group division, which will develop MTV content and brands for wireless games, ringtones and video clips. The group will administrate mobile activities within MTV Networks’ various cable channels (e.g. Nickelodeon, VH1 and Comedy Central) and among its domestic and foreign operations. Among its responsibilities: Mobile Junk 2.0, a new user-generated content service launching in conjunction with Sprint Nextel.
“Connecting with our consumers on every platform they love is at the heart of our digital strategy,� MTV Networks CEO Judy McGrath said in a prepared statement.
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FierceMobileContent  writes….In advance of its February 25 broadcast of the 79th Annual Academy Awards, ABC Television announced it will launch a series of mobile and digital content initiatives spotlighting Hollywood’s biggest night. In addition to lists of nominees and winners, red-carpet photos and archival content, ABC will deliver a mobile-exclusive Oscars blog on the evening of the event. ABC also announced a number of online features available via the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science’s official Oscar.com website, including a weekly and daily pre-show, fashion coverage, a backstage “Thank You Camâ€? and a video diary spotlighting host Ellen DeGeneres. FierceMobileContent is holding out for a ringtone comprising Sally Field’s “You like me-you really like me!â€? acceptance speech.
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FierceMobileContent writes….A new report issued by market intelligence firm IDC says there are now more than 229 million U.S. wireless subscribers spending an average of $6.00 per month on data services, yielding $4.1 billion in revenue during the third quarter of 2006. IDC says messaging constitutes nearly half of U.S. data revenues, with business- and consumer-oriented services and content at 40 percent and content and simple application downloads at 12 percent.
During the quarter in question, Verizon Wireless emerged as the new leader on data spending-per-customer with $7.27 a month, eclipsing longtime metric leader Sprint Nextel’s $7.15 per subscriber. “Among the national carriers, Verizon Wireless is today the overall leader in data services in terms of total wireless data revenue, data percentage of ARPU, and data spending, although Sprint Nextel and the other national carriers continue to lead in select services,� said IDC Wireless and Mobile Communications research analyst Julien Blin in a prepared statement.
IDC reports ringtones remain the most popular premium download among U.S. consumers, with 20 percent of subscribers purchasing at least one ringtone every quarter. “Master track ringtone sales continue to rise in popularity, and more than half of all ringtones sold today are of this variety,� Blin said. “Continued support from leading record labels, media companies, and brands will remain a factor driving future sales. While direct-to-consumer ringtone sales are likely to continue to grow in the next few years, other innovative strategies and technologies such as super-distribution, enhanced mobile search, music recognition and bundles are likely to become important elements in the market.�
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FierceMobileContent writes….Consumer research firm Telephia reports that U.S. on-portal mobile game revenue jumped 61 percent year-over-year to $151 million in the fourth quarter of 2006, accounting for 74 percent of total mobile gaming revenue. According to Telephia, more than 17 million U.S. consumers downloaded a mobile game last quarter, up 45 percent from a year ago. Telephia added there are now almost 90 different U.S. publishers competing in the mobile gaming market, with leader EA Mobile generating nearly 28 percent of total revenue; Gameloft and Glu Mobile are tied for second with 11 percent each.
Telephia also announced it will begin tracking preloaded game decks–initial findings suggest the EA Mobile perennial “Tetris� is the most commonly preloaded title among devices sold in the U.S. “Preloaded game demos provide consumers with easy access and a quick sample of the game title, increasing the likelihood of them purchasing the game and ultimately driving revenues for the publishers,� Telephia’s VP of mobile content Kanishka Agarwal said in a prepared statement. “Publishers must focus efforts on handset preload decks in addition to carrier download decks as a critical merchandizing tool.�
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Softpedia writes….Mobio Networks announced that it will launch GetMobio, a mobile lifestyle portal that offers consumers over 50 dynamic applications and widgets, at the DEMO 2007 conference. GetMobio allows people to use their mobile phones to locate the hottest nightclubs, call a cab, find alternative flights or book a table at the latest restaurants.
GetMobio can be freely downloaded by users onto their mobile phones, with new applications being delivered automatically as they become available. Users can personalize their experience across all GetMobio collections to create a more intuitive interaction. Mobio’s applications are designed to be used with very few clicks and minimal data entry, and are available for the most popular mobile phones on the market.
GetMobio ships with 10 collections, which are sets of mash-up applications, widgets and content feeds (RSS) tailored to the person’s location and preferences. These collections range from “After Midnight� to “Outwitting the Kids� and provide access to everything from hip lounges and comedy clubs to local hospitals and ice cream shops. Mobio also works with partners such as Kaboodle and OpenTable and develops targeted applications such as Mobile Flight Times, Mobile Movie Times and Mobile Fine Dining.
The initial rollout of GetMobio consists of 10 collections with over 50 applications, widgets and content feeds, including:
After Midnight – Places to go after midnight.
Stepping Out – High-energy places to see and be seen.
Chilling Out – Low-key places to meet up and do things.
Romance Me – Everything you need to make your night special.
Panic Kit – In case of emergency.
Outwitting the Kids – Stuff for parents at their wits end.
Two on the Town – Treat your home town - or any town - as a vacation destination.
Urban Trekker – Single destinations of interest – such as museums or shopping.
Indulge Me – High-end cravings for cigars, chocolate, massage, body art & piercings.
Gadgetophilia – Where to go to see the latest gadgets
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FierceMobileContent writes….Handset makers Samsung and Nokia announced their plans to collaborate on mobile TV interoperability among their respective DVB-H-enabled devices and the open standards-based Nokia network services system. Samsung and Nokia will work together to develop open OMA BCAST standard-based solutions targeted for operators deploying multi-vendor mobile TV services and trials.
“Within DVB-H technology, Samsung has already commercialized handsets based on the CBMS OSF standard, and will develop the OMA BCAST standard-based mobile TV handset,� said Samsung senior VP Kwang Suk Hyun in a prepared statement. “Its inclusion in our product portfolios will enhance our customers’ flexibility in choosing suitable standards based on their business models.
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FierceMobileContent writes….Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo announced plans to launch an all-you-can-eat mobile music download service. DoCoMo will enable subscribers of its i-mode multimedia platform to acquire an unlimited number of full-track downloads for about 2,000 yen ($16.77) per month–however, the service will at first be exclusive to new handsets pre-installed with the necessary software, beginning shipment in May. DoCoMo, Japan’s largest mobile operator, is introducing the all-you-can-eat service in response to recent market gains by rival KDDI, which has so far dominated Japanese mobile music sales with its pay-per-download Chaka Utu service.
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