While many international operators have targeted 2008 as a turning point for mobile TV, citing consumer demand tied to the Beijing Summer Olympics and soccer's UEFA Euro 2008 Championship, media analysis firm Screen Digest predicts those opportunities are likely to be squandered. China, France and Germany are all planning significant mobile TV rollouts next year, but according to Screen Digest senior mobile media analyst David MacQueen, "coverage will be far from nationwide when key sporting events kick off … [and] a key opportunity to measure European consumer desire for mobile TV services is likely to be lost." MacQueen adds that fledgling 3G TV services from Orange and Vodafone will enjoy a viewership boost, while broadcast services in the U.S. and Italy should see a significant subscriber surge as well.
For more on the Screen Digest forecast:
- read this release [1]
Related articles:
European Parliament officially endorses DVB-H [2]
France readying DVB-H [3] services for mid-2008
E.U. pressing for DVB-H [4] standard
European mandate may propel U.S. DVB-H [5]
EMBC [6]: No need for mobile TV regulations
EU [7]: Harmonize mobile TV rules, regulations
Links:
[1] http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/global-media-markets-battlegrounds-2008
[2] http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/european-parliament-officially-endorses-dvb-h/2007-11-29
[3] http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/france-readying-dvb-h-services-mid-2008/2007-09-26
[4] http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/e-u-pressing-dvb-h-standard/2007-07-16
[5] http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/european-mandate-may-propel-u-s-dvb-h/2007-07-17
[6] http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/embc-no-need-for-mobile-tv-regulations/2007-03-19
[7] http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/eu-harmonize-mobile-tv-rules-regulations/2006-03-09