The Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC) says its members in 2009 plan to launch broadcast mobile television in the United States with 63 TV stations in 22 markets that will cover 35 percent of households (note: the link opens a Microsoft Word document).
The initial group of stations include 14 affiliates from NBC, nine from ABC, nine from CBS, five from FOX, nine from ION Television, four from CW and four from MyNetworkTV. Also, nine PBS stations are in discussions with the OMVC about the possibility of joining the launch.
The stations will employ their existing broadcast spectrum to transmit signals using the ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) Mobile DTV standard. The stations are installing additional equipment to transmit the mobile TV programs to any device that contains an appropriate receiver.
Mobile DTV devices
Mobile DTV products can include cellular phones, music players, portable videos players, laptop computers and vehicle entertainment systems. The programs probably will be free to users, although the exact details are being worked out.
If the programs are advertising-supported — just like traditional TV programs — consumers might not have to pay to receive the transmissions. However, they will have to purchase Mobile DTV-compatible hardware or perhaps buy an external TV receiver that connects to an existing device, just as it’s possible to buy a TV receiver that plugs into a computer.
Cellular phones are a prime — the prime — device for Mobile DTV. But if the programs aren’t broadcast over cellular frequencies and cellular operators aren’t part of the value equation, the phones could be much more expensive than operator-subsidized phones.
Types of programs
Television stations that offer Mobile DTV could transmit just their regular programs, but they don’t have to. They could transmit mobile-only programs or intersperse mobile-specific programs as part of their traditional programming.
In effect, the technology enables TV broadcasters to create another channel for mobile users. Whether consumers will want free, ad-supported mobile TV, and purchase new hardware is an open question. But it will be very interesting to see whether the new mobile TV ecosystem succeeds.
Comments