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Can Mobile TV Save Local TV Stations?

7 March 2008

Sometimes what technology taketh, it also returneth. 

A forward looking Wall Street analyst thinks locally owned TV stations “will come to be viewed as one of the worst businesses during the next 5-10 years” and the realization of that will be sudden much as it has been with the yellow pages companies.

One possible technology savior for local TV stations is mobile TV. A lot of development work is being done that would let local TV stations send live broadcasts directly to mobile phones and other such wireless devices like, say, a suitably equipped iPhone or iPod.

Consumers don’t seem to have taken to the mobile TV they get from Qualcomm’s MediaFLO mobile TV service, the one that Verizon Wireless offers and that AT&T says it will soon offer. Verizon Wireless uses MediaFLO for live TV programming to complement its VCast downloadable video service.

Among those that are developing chips for mobile devices to receive modified local broadcasts are Samsung, LG, US chipmaker Legend Silicon and a number of startups such as Telegent and an Israeli outfit called Siano Mobile Silicon.

China has begun transitioning from analog to digital TV terrestrial broadcasts and its Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcast (DTTB) technology is said to be unique because it works with mobile devices as well as TV sets and set-top boxes. The Chinese government intends to transition to a form of digital TV broadcasts that mobile devices can receive. Local TV stations in the States would have to make some changes to their broadcast towers to send a modified signal that mobile devices can pick up. The costs of the tower changes are supposedly comparable to what U.S. radio stations are spending to add HD Radio signals. 

Awareness of mobile TV is certain to spread this summer. A credit card size USB dongle with integrated antenna has been developed that plugs into any PC’s USB port to receive live local TV broadcasts. One wag suggested that every member of the press be handed one when they get off the plane for the Beijing Olympics this summer.

Some time back, a Comcast executive said its test of mobile phone and mobile TV service (remember the Pivot venture that four cablecos are in with Sprint?) showed that people especially like getting local TV content on their phones - stuff like weather, traffic and sports.

Cable TV companies are very oriented towards local content with many offering a number of locally produced channels in their basic subscription plans.

See also:

- http://www.onlinereporter.com/article.php?article_id=11770  - Sino-US Silicon Venture Legend Silicon Has Mobile TV Chips Ready

- http://www.onlinereporter.com/article.php?article_id=11460  - Siano, CMB Satellite, Huaqi to Offer Mobile TV in ChinaEnabling Technology

 

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