Should mobile TV be standardized?

The Financial Times [1] is reporting that European Union media commissioner Viviane Reding is receiving some push-back on her plans to back DVB-H as the mobile TV standard for all of Europe.

The story says Reding wants to endorse a standard for mobile TV so that the technology will develop and be successful--similar to how GSM has been successful in the EU. However, other EU member states are not as sold on the standard and want the market to decide instead.

I think it's going to take more than a mandatory standard to make mobile TV a success in Europe. Like the U.S. market, I think Europeans are still on the fence about this service. I think consumers are interested in live mobile TV, but I'm not convinced that anyone has cracked the code on the type of content users want and how much they are willing to pay for it. Mobile TV companies often tell me that subscribers want short clips and original content, but Yankee Group consumer surveys often show the opposite--that users are interested in viewing familiar TV experiences, not original content or short, quick clips.

Nevertheless, should the EU promote one standard--such as DVB-H--that will certainly be a black mark for other TV standards such as MediaFLO or DMB. Qualcomm's MediaFLO, of course, has made inroads in the U.S. by striking deals with Verizon Wireless and AT&T. In addition, the company completed a joint technical trial [2] in the U.K. with entertainment provider British Sky Broadcasting. Conducted over two months in the Cambridge area, the trial delivered 11 British Sky channels to non-commercial devices in both laboratory and mixed field test contexts.

I think mandating a mobile TV standard such as DVB-H would only force a more fragmented marketplace. It would certainly make it difficult for roaming--should mobile TV take off and users want to roam to other countries and still access live TV services. We're still very early in the mobile TV game. Why not let the industry have a fair chance at making mobile TV a success before closing the door on innovation? -Sue [3]