Modeo reveals NY trial results

Live from the National Association of Broadcasters conference in Las Vegas: During a press briefing Tuesday, Modeo president Michael Ramke called the mobile TV operator's New York DVB-H network trial a "beta launch," adding 99 percent of the 138 test users were satisfied with the clarity of the service and 87 percent were satisfied with the availability of the service.

The Modeo trial, which started in December, was supported by more than 65 transmitters and included six video channels and eight audio channels. Content providers included CNBC, MSNBC, Fox News, Fox Sports, the Discovery Channel, E! and Music Choice. HTC made the quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE Modeo smartphone and Penthera developed the user interface.

Ramke, who declined to reveal some of the trial specifics because of Modeo's relationship with content providers and other partners, said the average minutes of use initially were high--around 23 minutes per day--but dropped off slightly once the novelty of the service wore off. Most participants viewed the mobile TV service about 15 minutes per day. In addition, 52 percent of participants said that they watched more TV because of the mobile device, which Ramke believes indicates a substantial opportunity for cross-promotion between traditional and mobile TV.

Now that the trial is over, Ramke said Modeo is working on enhancing the service, which includes adding a push video-on-demand service and increased interactivity. In addition, he touted the company's FCC waiver, awarded in February, which will allow Modeo to increase its transmission power. Ramke said the power increase will provide a 10 times increase in urban coverage and a 20 times increase in rural coverage. It will also significantly reduce cap ex costs to build out the network by $120 million. - Sue

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- Modeo mobile TV goes beta