WASHINGTON – U.S. broadcasters celebrating the commercial launch of Mobile Digital TV at a Capitol Hill event say the sky is the limit when it comes to using Mobile DTV on the newest mobile phones, adapters for tablets and media players, and portable TV sets equipped to receive the signals. However, in Canada, as Cartt reported earlier this summer, Mobile DTV is still nowhere to be found.
The event was hosted by the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC), the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), and the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), and sponsored by Dyle mobile TV, LG Electronics, Harris, Samsung, the Mobile500 Alliance, Elgato, and Rentrak.
Broadcasters in the U.S. are backing Mobile DTV to make the case that the government should allocate free over-the-air TV spectrum to the service and not auction if off to wireless providers.
They note that market research firm In-Stat recently conducted a survey that found consumers are increasingly willing to view ads as part of a mobile media experience, highlighting the potential for a smooth transition of local broadcasting's free-to-air value proposition to mobile. They maintain that the potential for subscription-based services is also strong, as demonstrated by markets around the world. For example, Taiwan's terrestrial broadcasts companies have embraced the technology and automobiles are routinely equipped with mobile DTV receivers.
With the availability of these new programs for “consumers on the go,” broadcasters can develop new formats for their marketplace, or augment their existing format by adding a mobile version of their main channels says the OMVC. This they maintain offers advertisers new opportunities to reach mobile consumers. Additionally, new brands can be leveraged by offering 24-hour news, traffic and weather feeds for mobile users.
“Today, Mobile TV is live in 50 markets reaching more than half of the U.S. population. Now that the first consumer devices are available in retail stores, we are excited to celebrate the commercial launch of Mobile DTV,” said Vince Sadusky, President of the OMVC and President and CEO of LIN Media. “Whether you’re watching your favorite primetime show, hearing breaking news as it happens while running Saturday errands or receiving emergency alerts about an approaching storm, Americans will be informed and entertained as never before with TV on the go,” Sadusky added.
With more than 130 stations on the air in 50 U.S. markets, Mobile DTV is now ready for prime time claims the OMVC.
“New opportunities to extend video watching beyond the living room – like Dyle mobile TV – point out the unique benefits for broadcast spectrum and resolve challenges in our wireless ‘data-?cap’ world,” said Salil Dalvi and Erik Moreno, co-?General Managers of Mobile Content Venture. “We’re thrilled to be offering a very compelling, consumer friendly alternative for popular video content.”
Dyle Mobile TV is the brand created by the Mobile Content Venture (MCV), a partnership of 12 major broadcast groups, including Belo Corp., Cox Media Group, E.W. Scripps Co., Gannett Broadcasting, Hearst Television Inc., Media General Inc., Meredith Corp., Post-?Newsweek Stations Inc. and Raycom Media as well as Fox, ION Television and NBC. Dyle mobile TV is available from more than 90 stations in 35 markets, reaching approximately 55 percent of the U.S. population. Consumers will have access to Dyle mobile TV on smartphones, tablets, and in cars.
Today’s event also included demonstrations of the new Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G smartphone, the world’s first commercial mobile phone equipped with Dyle mobile TV service.
Also demonstrated today were new accessory devices to provide mobile TV capability to tablets and media players and a new portable mobile TV equipped with WiFi capability. The Mobile500 Alliance, whose members include over 400 commercial and public TV broadcast stations, today demonstrated its My DTV mobile television service. The service will be available in Seattle and Minneapolis this fall, with other markets to follow.
Mobile television signals are received through an accessory receiver for tablets. Viewers have access to live, local programming and services on the go. Closed captioning, live recording and integrated social media are among the available options to enhance viewing for consumers.
“We are keenly focused on delivering broadcast television to mobile devices so consumers have television when they want it and where they want it,” said Colleen Brown, chair of the Mobile500 Alliance board of directors and president and CEO of Fisher Communications, Inc.
Mobile TV can also bring weather alerts and breaking news information to viewers, and the technology can also be applied to a future alerting system.
Today’s Capitol Hill event also marks the commercialization of the new Mobile Emergency Alert System (M-?EAS) that goes far beyond today’s electronic text alerts for mobile devices, offering real-?time video, maps, photos, and urgent information in the event of an emergency. Demonstrated here today by LG Electronics and Harris Broadcast, M-?EAS is currently being standardized by the ATSC, which also developed the A/153 Mobile Digital TV broadcast standard.
