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News Release from: Informa Telecoms and Media
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 12 June 2006

World Cup spurs handset TV

2006 is the year that the mobile TV picture starts to become clearer, according to a major strategic report released by Informa Telecoms and Media

2006 is the year that the mobile TV picture starts to become clearer, according to a major strategic report released today by Informa Telecoms and Media. The study, entitled 'Mobile TV: broadcast and mobile multimedia', predicts 210 million subscribers by 2011: in that year 10% of all mobile handsets sold will have a broadcast receiver.

The FIFA World Cup has provided the spark for the launch of a number of broadcast services in Europe, led by 3 in Italy and Debitel in Germany, and Informa Telecoms and Media expects that $300 million of revenue will come from users accessing streaming and broadcast services over the World Cup.

Mobile TV will ultimately owe its success to the type and format of content that is made available.

One of the primary objectives of the broadcast technology trials underway from the likes of BT Movio in the UK and BSkyB and Qualcomm in Europe, is to discover the best type of content for mobile and short-mode use.

Two formats are proving most popular.

The first, Mobisodes, uses custom made-for-mobile episodes of hit TV shows, such as '24'.

The second, Simulcast, involves transmitting the same programming users are familiar with from traditional television in real-time or alongside the TV broadcast.

The 2006 FIFA World Cup will likely see examples of both formats.

'This year's World Cup will prove a major catalyst for mobile TV growth'.

'It will give operators a chance to show what they can already do and test consumer demand'.

'But the real growth will take place over the next five years'.

'As soon as the 2008 Olympics we'll all be much more prepared to watch TV on our phones and by the 2010 World Cup the infrastructure will be mature and one in 13 mobile phone users worldwide will own a mobile TV handset', commented David McQueen, Senior Analyst and report author for Informa Telecoms and Media.

A significant number of technical and business issues have had to be resolved in order for mobile TV to reach a viable platform from which to launch.

Technical standards for mobile TV have been emerging, and the next five years will see a proliferation of devices operating on different mobile TV technical standards including DVB-H, MediaFlo and T-DMB.

By 2011, Informa Telecoms and Media forecasts that DVB-H handsets will form the bulk of all broadcast receiver handset sales (63%), equating to 73 million units, followed by MediaFlo devices with sales expected to reach 14.5 million.

Since the first broadcast mobile devices were launched in early 2005 by Samsung and LG for the Korean market, the size and form factor of the new crop of devices for 2006 has improved immeasurably.

Many of the newer models have swivel screens to allow for widescreen viewing, and each handset invariably incorporates a high-resolution high-colour antiglare screen.

Sound quality is of high importance in the device, with stereo speakers added to most, as it is this characteristic which is perceived as the yardstick of the overall TV experience irrespective of picture quality.

Battery life issues have largely been resolved; current generation devices can sustain 3-4 hours continuous playback against a typical user profile of 3 hours use per week, based on trial information.

Mobile TV engages a significant number of stakeholders: mobile operators, content providers, broadcasters and handset providers, and the models for revenue split are still forming as relationships between mobile operators and content providers develop.

Users are unlikely to pay for premium operator branded TV content in the way that they do for more conventional mobile content.

As with mobile music and gaming, Informa Telecoms and Media predicts the final revenue splits will be in favour of the content providers, as users will not pay for mobile TV without the guarantee of familiar, compelling content.

Mobile TV will be adopted at different rates in different regions as the necessary broadcast infrastructure is put in place and as handsets begin to proliferate.

Asia-Pacific will lead the way with 95.1 million expected subscribers by 2011, as innovative services from Korean operators continue to gain traction in that market and China and Japan follow suit.

Europe, with its relatively advanced infrastructure will see 68.7 million subscribers by 2011, with spikes as operators launch services to coincide with the 2006 FIFA World Cup and again in 2009 when a more complete infrastructure base is likely to be achieved.

Middle East and Africa will follow with 9.5 million subscribers in 2011 and the Americas with 9.1 million.

'TV is a medium that everyone understands, and so is mobile'.

'Combining the two in the imagination of consumers is not as great a challenge as it is for other forms of mobile entertainment', commented McQueen.

'But whilst people buy into the idea of mobile TV, some of the finer details are yet to be fully resolved: finding a suitable price point and delivering compelling content to name two'.

'This year we think we will see these issues begin to be fully resolved and the rapid uptake of mobile TV devices and services will commence', concluded McQueen.

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