Engadget Mobile's article says Verizon's new mobile television pricing plans will be:
* Limited: $13 per month. Programs from CBS Mobile, NBC Mobile, NBC News and Fox Mobile.
* Basic: $15 per month. All the programs in the "limited" plan plus Comedy Central, ESPN, MTV Mobile and Nickelodeon.
* Select: $25 per month. The programs from "basic" plus the existing V CAST service (i.e., archived video clips as opposed to MediaFLO's streaming programs).
Disappointing selection
Based on this information the program line-up (initially) will feature just one news channel (NBC News). I wonder if that will be a 24 hour per day broadcast or just NBC's regular news programs.
Perhaps CBS Mobile and Fox Mobile also will offer news programs. A live, streaming mobile TV service cries out for a good 24/7 news channel. Where's CNN?! And oh for BBC World News!
So far in the United States the only 24/7 general news channel is the right-wing Fox News on Sprint TV. But it's a lot better than nothing and is indeed valuable for breaking news stories.
Sprint also offers other live streaming programs, such as Bloomberg, ABC News Now (generally older "soft" news and features, although I like the "Ahead of the Curve" science segments), C-SPAN and C-SPAN 2.
Personal versus professional
My own preference is for mobile TV that's heavy on the news and light on the typical network slop of doltish reality shows, boring sports programs, brain-dead celebrity gossip, execrable music videos, etc. I do like a fair number of shows on Comedy Central, but based on V CAST Mobile TV's schedule, I think I'd prefer Sprint's much larger selection.
However: (1) It's completely unfair to castigate Verizon's service without seeing it up close and personal, (2) There could be much more "to come" and (3) My personal preferences do not necessarily (indeed, do not) reflect the target audience.
Market launch
Engadget Mobile says the launch cities will include: Jacksonville, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Omaha, Wichita, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Colorado Springs, Denver, Dallas, Las Vegas, Portland, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Tucson, Atlanta, Richmond, New Orleans, New York, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Long Island, Philadelphia and St. Louis.
Hmmm. I would think Washington, D.C. would be a prime first-tier MediaFLO market, because it's a, well, first-tier market and also is infested filled with Federal government honchos who Verizon and other cellular operators typically want to impress.
Indeed, Washington is typically one of the first markets to get new Qualcomm-based technology. I live in the Washington, D.C. area so I'm more than a little interested in the rollout!
Engadget Mobile concludes: "And while you're at it adding cities, beef up that channel lineup, will ya, Verizon?"
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