BT Reveals Consumer Interest In Mobile TV
Mobile television looks set to make its presence felt within the media arena, with a new study from BT showing clear consumer demand for broadcast digital television and radio to be accessible from mobile phones.
According to the results from BT’s pilot of broadcast digital TV to mobiles two thirds of customers would be prepared to pay up to £8 per month for the technology on their mobile network, creating exciting new revenue streams for mobile operators.
The majority of respondents, 73%, claimed that they would be prepared to pay for the service on their current network if it were priced competitively, with 38% saying they would switch networks to receive the service.
Over three-quarters of pilot users were found to tune into digital television and radio on their mobiles on a weekly basis, or more often, with the average length of viewing more than one hour.
Digital radio was also shown to be extremely popular, with the pilot listeners claiming to tune in on average for over one and half-hours every week.
Commenting on the study’s findings, Emma Lloyd, managing director at BT’s Movio pilot said: “It is clear from the very positive feedback we have had from the pilot that BT Movio will be in high demand from mobile users and operators alike.”
BT Movio which launches later this year also complements 3G based mobile TV offerings, allowing unlimited users access to live broadcasts on multiple digital TV and radio channels.
Lloyd continued: “As the popularity of mobile TV grows, the UK will need a broadcast delivery mechanism. Delivered via the UK’s only national commercial DAB network, BT Movio will be the first “one to many” broadcast service to deliver live TV to UK mobile users.”
Graeme Hutchinson, sales and marketing director of Virgin Mobile added: “Digital Mobile TV is one of the most consumer friendly developments ever seen in the mobile industry. With BT Movio, Virgin Mobile can offer a service that includes all that’s brilliant about modern digital television, such as a personal electronic programme guide, on a mobile phone.”
In the US, eMarketer projects that 3 million US consumers will watch TV programming on their mobile phones in 2006, up from 1.2 million in 2005. By 2009, the analyst expects there will be 15 million video viewers, an estimated 6.2% of total mobile subscriber.
Juniper Research predicts worldwide mobile television revenues to increase rapidly before the end of the decade, peaking at $7.6 billion in 2010, up from an estimated $136 million this year.
The latest TV Technology Executive Report from MediaTel INSIGHT features all the latest forecasts and predictions for emerging delivery methods in the TV market. INSIGHT subscribers can access the report at www.mediatelinsight.co.uk, while non-subscribers can purchase the report separately here.
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