Mobile TV: The next big thing

You need not have to wait for the re-run of your favourite serial just because you're on the move. Indians are now warming up to the idea of mobile television (TV), says a recent report by Springboard Research that predicts 12 million subscribers will use the mobile TV service in the first year of its launch.

It estimates that in the first year of operation, mobile TV could reach a penetration level of 5 to 6 per cent of the total mobile subscriber base in India (taken as 233 million).

Mobile TV is a technology that allows people to view regular live television content on their mobile phones or other mobile devices that they get through traditional cable or pay TV subscriptions at home. Springboard estimates that in 2008 India's market for mobile TV services to reach $360 million (approximately Rs 1,440 crore).

"Mobile TV marries the two dominant consumption trends of entertainment and mobile telephony in India," says Ravi Shekhar Pandey, manager "� Syndicated Research at Springboard Research.

"The market is ripe for the launch of Mobile TV services and we believe that India will have around 12 million mobile TV subscribers within the first year of launch of service," he added.

Currently in India, only Doordarshan offers mobile TV service, however according to the report, in recent months the market has seen increased activities from various stakeholders including technology providers, network equipment vendors and mobile service providers like Nokia, Spice Telecom, Qualcomm and Samsung.

Both telecom companies as well as broadcasters will have to invest in proper infrastructure and a congenial environment to provide such services," says Pandey.

"Mobile telephone operators will have an advantage over standalone mobile TV operators in that the former already have users subscribing to their value-added services. However, the success of either operator will be dependent on content offered and price charged for the service," he adds.

According to the report, 84 per cent of mobile phone users are interested in using Mobile TV service provided the service is commonly available and affordable. Close to 60 per cent of these will prefer watching the same content that they get on TV at home.

"A majority of mobile users in India are interested in trying out mobile TV and would invest in new handsets for using the service. This willingness is definitely a positive sign for those considering offering mobile TV in one of the world's largest and fastest growing mobile services market," says Pandey.