Jeff Bussgang, a general partner at the venture capital firm of Flybridge Capital Partners, and investor in mobile video, says one of the five “take-aways” from the CTIA’s Wireless 2009 conference is that mobile video will be the “next big thing.”
Yep, there are a few caveats here. Firstly, for years everyone has heard the “next big thing” comment about mobile television/mobile video. Secondly, Bussgang freely admits he’s an investor in Transpera, a mobile video delivery and advertising company — and he’s “highly biased.”
That said, he writes: “Everyone is talking about delivering high-quality video on mobile. With 22 million consumers in January 2009 accessing the mobile Internet according to Comscore, double last year and likely to double again in 2010, rich content on the phone is clearly the next big thing, and video is a huge driver of that.
“Gen Y consumers are watching news, weather and sports on their phones as if it were the normal function of the device as opposed to a full-blown miracle as compared to only five years ago.”
Still a believer…and correct!
Although I eschew using “next big thing” for anything, I agree with Bussgang. I didn’t start Reiter’s Mobile TV Report almost three years ago because I didn’t believe in mobile television and mobile video!
I’m very careful about what I write in public, although I often extrapolate and speculate about the long-term future of wireless Internet (such as in my Internet Evolution columns). I remain convinced that people will consider viewing television and videos — everything from short clips to full length programs — as a normal part of using cellular phones.
I think the naysayers about mobile video have all come around. It’s the naysayers about mobile TV that remain to be convinced. However, as I’ve noted previously, the traditional form of TV could be significantly different in the years to come.
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