Virgin Mobile UK turning off mobile TV

Virgin Mobile UK will shut down its Virgin Mobile TV service early next year, less than 10 months after launch. The Register reports platform provider BT Movio is canceling its contract with commercial radio provider GCap Media, which owns the broadcast spectrum over which Virgin Mobile operates. Although Virgin Mobile will terminate the TV service in January 2008, BT Movio's contract with GCap Media continues until June 9.

The move follows on the heels of the European Commission's decision to endorse DVB-H for the EU mobile TV standard; the Virgin Mobile service was based on the rival DMB standard. Of course, Virgin Mobile TV struggled virtually from the outset--despite a massive £2.5 million promotional effort featuring actress Pamela Anderson, the Lobster 700TV, the sole mobile TV-enabled device issued in conjunction with the service, sold fewer than 10,000 handsets after three months on the market.

The Virgin Mobile TV shutdown also follows days after broadcasting and mobile infrastructure provider Crown Castle effectively terminated subsidiary Modeo's U.S. DVB-H mobile TV service, announcing it will lease its nationwide 1670-1675 MHz spectrum for $13 million annually.

For more on the Virgin Mobile TV shutdown:
- read this Register article

Related Article:
EU picks DVB-H
Forecast: DVB-H revenues to top $2B by 2010