Why Mobile TV Will Eventually Be Free
from the look-at-the-trends dept
We've been less than bullish on the idea of mobile broadcast TV for some time. There are a number of basic problems with the idea, as many are trying to implement it. First, it's still not a great viewing experience. Beyond the small screen and the choppy picture, watching TV on the go requires you to basically be sitting around doing nothing for a while. It might work for those who commute on public transportation every day... but beyond that? Then, there's the rise of "time shifting" TV. Thanks to TiVo there's simply not as much demand for watching TV live. On top of all of that, though, is the cost issue. If people are going to use mobile broadcast TV, they have to understand why it's valuable, and with mobile operators looking to charge around $10/month for the privilege of watching a few choppy channels on a tiny screen... it's a tough sell. The folks over at MTV are suggesting that going free and ad supported might be the best way for mobile broadcast TV, noting that "free is always good for the consumer."
It's good that some people are starting to realize this, but it's not a question of whether or not free is the right model, but a recognition that it's likely to be the only model. It seems like everyone investing big money in the mobile broadcast TV market are ignoring the growing competition from "place shifting" efforts from companies like Sling and Orb. In both cases, these companies will let users access their home TV (including their DVR) from mobile devices -- and both only charge for the hardware, rather than an ongoing service fee. So, if your choices are spending $200 on a box that lets you access your home TV with its 200 channels and full access to your TiVo from anywhere in the world using any computer or mobile device... against paying $10/month for a limited selection of choppy live programming just on your phone, it seems like the place shifting companies have an advantage. Add to that the fact that it's only a matter of time until cable and satellite providers start including Sling/Orb functionality directly into their existing set top boxes... and the pure play mobile broadcast TV efforts seem a lot harder to justify. Of course, then we'll have to deal with the mobile operators complaining that their unlimited plans are being overused, while demanding that they be able to block TV viewing on phones, as it impacts the integrity of the network.
Reader Comments (rss)
(Flattened / Threaded)
Mobile TV in Japan
There is already free Mobile Digital TV over airwaves in Japan, Want Proof? Just look at the Nintendo DS Lite Digital TV Tuner, its 320 X 240 resolution. Would work great on my Treo 650!
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
No Subject Given
You've hit the nail on the head. When I travel, I watch shows ripped from my TiVo. The only thing I might want to see live would be news coverage of some major event - but then, I can read about it on my Treo. Also, when viewing mobile TV, you can't get or make calls, right? Kinda obviates the reason for having the phone, no?
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
No Subject Given
The real solution will be that your PVR will write certain pre-selected shows (or music) to your phone's SD card overnight while it is plugged into a WiFi enabled charge stand.
Once consumers get used to that, companies can start to add content like news, weather, short videos, full-length music samples, etc... which will be combined into a television-like experience (ie: while I am watching "Lost" the media player might insert a 30 sec weather forecast, traffic report, etc and then play a free sample video from an artist that fits my demographic profile after the show ends).
Only the short-burst stuff (traffic updates, weather, stock ticker, etc...) will be over the network. A majority of it will come from my own media content at home or will be pre-fetched while connected to my home broadband network.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
screw TV
I say screw TV. The internet is much better.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: screw TV
Agreed. But I still want my MTV ... um ... ... I still want my "Today Show with Jon Stewart" and Battlestar Gallactica and several shows that seem to need a "conventional" form of budget.
TV needs an enema. Get rid of the sheeet content and deliver worthwhile viewing entertainment. Simple as that.
Watch it on any device regardless of how one my choose to shift time or space. (and how did some bozo come up with place-shifting as a variation on time-shifting instead of space-shifting?!)
Anyhoot. I think what we can expect is to see advertising become increasingly more tightly interwoven into the content so that skipping ads will be irrelevant because the ad will be part of the content.
The next time you see a celebrity mention a product, try to decide if it's an endorsement, advertisement or genuine (unpaid) personal comment. Trust nobody. Just look at the cross-pollination of celebrity influence and political agenda. Scary. It's a horrible thing that a character smokes a cigarette in a block-buster movie and another generation of impressionable teenagers rush out to practice looking cool. But it's a whole new level of evil to hear "trusted" celebrities weaving product and brand endorsements into their everyday lives. Sad. Sad.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: screw TV
TV was free and received over the air. The only difference was it was received on a $300 tv not a $300 cell phone.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
television is the devil
Television is the devil and advertisers his mignons.
Now with Tv on mobile phones there will be a whole new breed of lawsuits rewarding idiots who get themselves into accidents "because i was watching tv on my phone and the program was so good i didn't see the fire hydrant that busted my kneecap."
This said, technological advances are an empirical good and high quality image+sound live on my mobile is something i look forward to. It's the content that i often question, especially the news, it's such a joke in the US (this is only a generalization of which i am open to debate, but between news and propaganda i hardly find the dividing line).
I am not a big fan of MTV, but i have to hand it to them this time, i applaud their stance on the issue. Content should be free especially if it's going to be infested with advertising. On a side note, advertising laws should be seriously scrutinized in the US.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
It's already being done,,,
In the uk at least. Sky tv are already offering something similar. It's only short range (ie 30m or so) and it's only audio. But you get to pick and choose the channels and olny pay for the hardware. Could be the start of something good perhaps?
http://www1.sky.com/skygnome/
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: screw TV
But what will happen when the two collide this weekend?
http://24hoursoftv.blogspot.com/
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Interruptions
Watching mobile TV would NOT restrict calls or other top level/priority one events from interrupting viewing with a notification screen to accept or ignore the incoming request.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Interruptions
If you need to watch TV on your phone, i mean, man, the screens so small, gosh, get a PDA/Phone. Big screen, and with Window Media Player and Media Encoder you can just stream you TV Tuner to you PDA via WiFi, There you go, problem solved, --big screen--no stupid monthly fee--
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
i want free foxtel on my cell phone :'(
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Free for tv ...on cellphone?
Hi,
I want to get free tv for my treo 650! But I don't how I find it in USA?
Thank you.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
want free
hi sir !
i want free cell phones plz. help me i need it urgent
regards!
taimur
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
this web site says its free mobile tv http://freebe.roktv.com/ and its avalible in the usa, uk and china
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Free Mobile TV
Free mobile TV is already here - check it out at www.freebetv.com
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
freebetv.com
Has anyone tried freebetv.com I'm a little hesitant due to the fact every software I download on my treo 650 kills the phone and I have to hard boot.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
The cons of Slingboxs
I feel I have to add that you forget something. Although Sling and Orb might be a innovative way of supplying the users what they want, MobileTV (as far as I know) does not come with traffic fees. In order to access a home slingbox set over the mobile network you'd have to use a peer-to-peer connection. This would not only put a heavy load on the network, but also go through the "usual" pay-per-MB channel. I believe this could scare any potential users off. Any reflections on this matter?
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
mobile TV
Orb does not have a mobile player, nor does it have a piece of hardware unlike Sling and Monsoon, both of which have mobile players.
Orb requires being tethered to a PC, while Sling and Monsoon allow u to take your PC with u, simply connect their device to your set top box.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
cell phone ringtones sanyo free sprint pcs downloa
We bring you the coolest free mobile ringtones on the planet! For more information, see below! cell phone ringtone sanyo free sprint pcs downloads
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
tv
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Add Your Comment