Description
In the entertainment and consumer space, mobile TV is the latest hyped telecom opportunity, as the new service merges the two most successful consumer electronics products of all time: the TV and the mobile phone. Billed as the next significant revenue generator for mobile carriers and content owners, mobile TV includes television and video content adapted for the small screen of mobile phones, PDAs and any other wireless device. Given that 2 billion people worldwide currently own mobile phones, the introduction of mobile video as a content driver would appear to be an application full of tremendous potential.
Mobile TV today can best be described as nascent or nonexistent in most markets. The market is dominated by a variety of clips-based content streamed via unicast over 2-3G networks. Content is often choppy, battery life is lacking, and download times over existing networks are often quite long. This issue is expected to only worsen as more users request unicast video streams, thus further slowing down the network and user experience. It is no surprise therefore that many early stage mobile TV services have been met with low subscriber totals and include limited content. With mobile TV projected to generate significant subscribers and revenue over the next 5-10 years, mobile providers are examining new ways to distribute content without clogging their precious 3G network resources or infringing on the true killer application: mobile telephony. One rapidly emerging approach to mobile TV is to broadcast video content directly to users via satellite and/or terrestrial means, thus bypassing the 3G network and enabling mobile users to receive direct broadcasts from TV stations and content owners. This merging of unicast and broadcast is receiving quite a bit of attention, as virtually every mobile carrier is testing some form of new broadcast mobile TV technology. In fact at least 5 competing technologies for broadcast mobile TV are currently planned, with all backed by wireless heavyweights, such as Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung and Crown Castle. Several factors will contribute to the growth of mobile TV, including the increasing rollout of high speed wireless networks, increasing availability of mobile content and decreasing prices of mobile TV enabled handsets. New broadcast enabled networks are also expected to complement existing unicast networks and enable a range of new business models for both live and on-demand video content. However, despite the apparent potential for mobile TV, this market is still in its infancy, and many issues remain unresolved related to technology, spectrum and the specifics of a profitable business case. Trials currently outnumber revenue generating mobile TV services, and most carriers are reluctant to push forward beyond the trial stage. Additionally, some surveys have found that many users either do not want to watch TV content on a mobile phone or they do not want to pay to view such content, thus compromising the business model. Therefore, questions remain regarding if mobile TV is just a novelty, or will users integrate mobile TV into their everyday communications habits. This report examines the potential for mobile TV over both broadcast and unicast networks. The report also examines the business case for mobile TV, the various technologies planned to support it and the plans of mobile carriers and vendors to target this emerging mass market opportunity. Critical questions to be answered in this report include: - Which regions and countries represent the most potential for mobile TV demand?
- Will mobile TV generate the next wave of content demand for mobile operators and content owners?
- Can demand be satisfied over 3G networks, or will carriers need to upgrade to support emerging broadcast technology?
- Which technical specs or standards will drive mobile TV, and which players are best poised to develop these specs?
- In which regions will technologies such as MediaFLO, DVB-H and DMB show the most promise?
- Which network architectures are the most dominant for mobile TV?
- What are the most successful business models for mobile TV?
- What will be the right mix of content to satisfy mobile TV users?
All clients of the Mobile TV 2006 report are also entitled to a FREE half-day of consulting time with an NSR analyst. This time can be used to review report findings, interpret market forecasts and determine how the report information applies to your company’s business model.
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