Macrovision's Patent Hedge >>
<< Fighting Over The Word Easy And The Color...
 tdicon 
Non-WiMaxes Start To Get Some Respect >>
<< Fighting Over The Word Easy And The Color...
 | 

Predictions

by Mike Masnick

Tue, May 17th 2005 11:34am





Sure, Give Us Mobile TV -- Just Don't Expect Us To Pay

from the if-you're-going-to-give-us-what-we-don't-want... dept

While wireless companies have been absolutely drooling over the prospect of moving broadcast television to mobile phones, many people have been asking why? People buy phones to communicate, not consume content. Even if some analysts claim that anyone who doesn't believe mobile broadcast TV is the "killer app" for TV is just a naysayer, it seems like worthwhile naysaying. There's little evidence for a strong pent up demand for people to watch TV on the go. Especially in an age of TiVo when people can time shift their viewing habits, live TV takes on lower importance. As we watch initial efforts at mobile TV in Korea it seems like the reaction is mixed. Certainly some people are interested, but it's hardly causing people to break down the doors. The fact is, mobile TV seems like a "nice to have" -- which is hardly the description of "the killer app." Certainly it might be nice to have it during a commute or to kill downtime, but it's likely to be a secondary function on the phone to communicating. More people will want a phone that handles the talking and texting party well than lets them watch TV well. In fact, a new survey supports this idea by showing that people would watch broadcast TV on their phones -- they just wouldn't pay for it. Again, this certainly suggests we're well outside of killer app territory.

3 Comments | Leave a Comment

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments (rss)

(Flattened / Threaded)

  1.  
    identicon
    dorpus, May 17th, 2005 @ 12:06pm

    Small TV's anyone?

    Portable TV sets the size of a brick were available in the 1980s, and people predicted that we would have millions of tiny TV's everywhere in the future. They're not being sold anymore, at least I haven't seen one anywhere recently. The opposite has happened, with a demand for huge TV sets. In the future, will people demand extra-large cell phones that can blast entire city blocks with ring tones?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  
    identicon
    pr0vider, May 17th, 2005 @ 3:17pm

    Tiny TV

    It seems to me that people who want this capability just don't have enough to do at the office.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  
    identicon
    Donald Jessop, May 17th, 2005 @ 3:29pm

    What about the battery?

    I don't know about everyone else, but my cell phone probably does not contain enough power to watch the news on the way to work and then the news on the way home. (I take the bus, so don't worry about my driving. :-) )

    The only TV shows I watch are TV shows that my wife is interested in as well, so I would probably be watching the news. But two hours of broadcast TV on my cell phone? My battery would be dead. I can theoretically talk for four hours on my phone, but I think that receiving broadcast signals and then displaying them on the tiny screen would be more energy consuming than calling my wife. Do I want to charge up my phone twice a day? Hell, no!!!

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


Add Your Comment

Have a Techdirt Account? Sign in now. Want one? Register here
Get Techdirt’s Daily Email
Save me a cookie
  • Note: A CRLF will be replaced by a break tag (<br>), all other allowable HTML will remain intact
  • Allowed HTML Tags: <b> <i> <a> <em> <br> <strong> <blockquote> <hr> <tt>
Macrovision's Patent Hedge >>
<< Fighting Over The Word Easy And The Color...
 tdicon 
Non-WiMaxes Start To Get Some Respect >>
<< Fighting Over The Word Easy And The Color...
 | 
Follow Techdirt
Flattr rss rss
A word from our Sponsors...
Sponsored Resource
Essential Reading
Techdirt Reading List
Techdirt Insider Chat

A word from our Sponsors...
Recent Stories

Saturday

12:00pm: GMacGuffin's Favorite Techdirt Posts Of The Week (8)
9:00am: Awesome Stuff: Dealer's Choice (7)

Friday

7:39pm: In Defense Of Digital Freedom: It's Time To Get Beyond 'Cyber' Hyperbole (33)
6:40pm: Xbox One Release: Tons Of Questions, Very Few Answers (104)
5:37pm: Think DOJ Spying On Reporters Was 'Unprecedented'? Think Again (6)
5:00pm: DailyDirt: DIY Soda (Pop Or Whatever You Call Carbonated Beverages) (9)
3:51pm: Petition Asks Obama To Support Treaty For The Blind, Rather Than Siding With Hollywood (16)
2:46pm: Fair Use For Me, But Not For Thee (29)
1:45pm: Another Court Tells Prenda To Pay Up On Attorneys Fees (21)
12:45pm: If You Thought Copyright Was A Mess On Earth, What Does It Look Like In Space? (25)
More arrow
A word from our Sponsors...

Close

Email This