Mobile mobile television cellular phones and subscribers are expected to boom, according to a report by Infonetics Research.
The company’s press release says sales of mobile video phones worldwide totaled almost $58 billion in 2006 and will reach almost $125 billion by 2010. The number of mobile video subscribers will increase from “a few million” in 2006 to 58.6 million in 2010, the report, “Mobile Video Phones, Services and Subscribers,” predicts.
The report also predicts “a phenomenal five-year” growth for mobile TV revenues and the continued dominance of the Asia/Pacific region in terms of subscribers. The release says:
“* Worldwide service provider revenue from mobile video services is expected to triple from 2006 to 2007, and is forecast to grow at a phenomenal five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 135% through 2010
“* EMEA was the leading region for mobile video service revenue in 2006, accounting for 42% of the worldwide total; Asia Pacific accounts for 35%, North America for 16%, and CALA for 7%
“* Asia Pacific will be the regional stronghold of mobile video subscribers through at least 2010, with 53% of the world total in 2006, followed by EMEA at 27%, North America at 13%, and CALA at 6%
“* Worldwide DVB-H subscribers are projected to grow to 11.7 million by 2010
“* Worldwide [Media]FLO subscribers are projected to grow to 6M by 2010”
What’s fueling the growth?
Jeff Heynen, the directing analyst for broadband and IPTV at Infonetics, says the growth is being driven by the switch from analog to digital television networks and the pressure to launch mobile TV services in 2008 in time for the Summer Olympics in Beijing and the European Soccer Championship.
(No question — major sports events are significant drivers of mobile TV subscriber growth. The interesting question, however, is whether significant subscribers will continue to watch mobile TV.)
“In addition, governments are very quickly lining up behind various mobile video technologies to help facilitate deployments, with the EU’s endorsement of DVB-H and the Chinese government’s sponsorship of CMMB being the two most visible efforts,” Heynen says.
Of course, you’ll also read conflicting research reports and articles in the press about the poor take up of mobile TV and the lack of demand. I’m an optimist, or I never would have started this weblog.
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