 By Silicon
el 11-Jun-2008 |
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 One of the most impressive parts of Steve Jobs' WWDC keynote: When MLB.com staffers showed off MLB At Bat, their app for the forthcoming Apple (AAPL) iPhone platform. What is it? Live scores, game updates, and most important -- almost-live video highlights, delivered while the game is still going on. That's precisely the kind of mobile video we see taking off -- not an expensive monthly service that's trying to ape real TV.
The problem: That's what much of the industry is selling right now. The three biggest U.S. wireless carriers -- AT&T (T), Verizon (VZ), and Sprint Nextel (S) -- all offer one or more mobile TV services, and they're all pretty similar: "Channels" of mostly full-length programming, ranging from repurposed stuff from TV networks to mediocre original programming. And a bunch of random on-demand clips. And so far, few have rushed to sign up: During Q1, 2.2 million wireless subscribers -- just 1% of the U.S. market -- watched broadcast TV programming on their phones, according to research firm M:Metrics. Hardly living up to the hype.
We're optimistic about mobile video, but we don't think we'll ever watch a full episode of "House" on our phones, even if it looks decent. We think the future of mobile video for most consumers is in short, relevant "snacks" of stuff that's worth watching before you get home -- like an almost-live clip of a monster home run.
So what's out there now? Here's our survey of the U.S. mobile video business, a work in progress. Are we missing something cool and/or important? Let us know in comments.
U.S. Mobile TV Service Landscape
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 Qualcomm FloTV
Carriers: AT&T, Verizon Wireless
Availability: Approx. 60 markets
Requirements: Custom mobile phone with MediaFlo service.
Programming Style: Broadcast TV.
Content Sources: CBS Mobile, Fox Mobile, NBC 2Go, NBC News 2Go, Comedy Central, ESPN Mobile TV, MTV, Nickelodeon, special channels.
Price: $15/month (AT&T), $13-15/month (Verizon)
Subscribers: Estimated less than 100,000 at the end of 2007 (Michelle Abraham, In-Stat)
Investors: Qualcomm (QCOM)
Funding: Undisclosed
Notes: High quality video but needs special phone and is only available in limited markets.
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 MobiTV
Carriers: AT&T, Sprint Nextel, Alltel, others.
Availability: Anywhere with a 3G network -- hundreds of markets.
Requirements: Compatible phone (350+), 3G network connection.
Programming Style: Broadcast TV, video on demand.
Content Sources: ABC News, Access Hollywood, American Gladiators, Animal Planet, Bloomberg Television, Bravo To Go, Bravo's Top Chef, CNBC, CNET, C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, Discovery, Discovery Mobile, Disney Channel, ESPN Mobile TV, Fox Business, Fox News, Fox Sports, MSNBC, NBC Mobile, NBC News Mobile, NBC Sports Mobile, Oxygen (Oh!), Sci Fi, The Weather Channel, TLC, USA Network, original channels.
Price: $9.99 per month, white-label carrier services vary
Subscribers: 4 million worldwide in April, 2008, including radio subscribers
Investors: Leader Ventures, Gefinor Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Redpoint Venutres, Oak Investment Partners, Adobe Systems (ADBE), and Hearst Corp.
Funding: $130 million (source)
Notes: Widely available but video quality not as good as FloTV. Also powers TV for Sprint and broadband TV service for computers. AT&T's top mobile app during Q1 2008.
GoTV Networks
Carriers: AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, Alltel, Helio, others.
Availability: Anywhere with a 3G network -- hundreds of markets.
Requirements: Compatible phone, 3G network connection.
Programming Style: Broadcast video.
Content Sources: Original channels including Altitude, Hip Hop Official, ES Musica, Just Nutz, Superchannel, Being Bailey, Crescent Heights, Univision, V CAST (Verizon).
Price: Varies by carrier.
Subscribers: Estimated less than 500,000 (source)
Investors: Motorola (MOT) Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Charles River Ventures.
Funding: Undisclosed.
Notes: Also runs a mobile video/TV production studio.
Others:
Modeo, a mobile TV service that was being tested in New York by Crown Castle International, was shut down last summer. Aloha Partners scrapped their Hiwire service last fall and sold the spectrum to AT&T.
See Also:
Mobile Video: Small, Growing. Will It Ever Take Off?
Qualcomm CEO: No One's Watching Our Mobile TV Service
YouTube On The iPhone: Cool But Not Complete
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