Would You Watch TV on Your Cell Phone?

By Jennifer Martinez

Who would want to watch TV on a cell phone? That depends on who -- or perhaps where -- you ask.

Last year, researcher InsightExpress surveyed 1,000 U.S. cell phone users about their interest in mobile TV. A resounding three-quarters of the respondents said they weren’t interested in watching TV programs on a handheld device.

But at the same time, Finnish telecommunications provider Nokia announced that pilot tests of its broadcast mobile television services among consumers in Finland, the United Kingdom, Spain and France revealed a clear demand for such services. In the United Kingdom alone, 76 percent of participants said they would sign up for the service within a year.

And that’s pretty much where things stand today. Mobile TV continues to attract passionate advocates, even as many consumers scoff and say the whole idea is much ado about nothing. But one thing’s certain: New mobile TV services show no sign of slowing down -- either in the United States or in Europe.

Who is rolling out TV service for cell phones?
Consider some recent activity stateside. In 2007, Verizon Wireless, the largest mobile carrier in the U.S., launched a broadcast TV service for cell phones in about 20 markets. Verizon will charge $15 to $25 per month for the initial lineup from eight leading networks, including NBC News, CNN, Fox Sports and ESPN. Delivered over Qualcomm’s MediaFlo wireless network, Verizon’s V Cast Mobile TV requires a new handset capable of receiving the broadcast signal in addition to the regular cellular signal for phone calls and mobile Internet access. The service rolled out starting last year, too.

Not to be outdone, AT&T announced that it, too, will use Qualcomm's MediaFlo network to deliver live television and video clips to subscribers of its Cingular Wireless service, currently the second largest wireless network in the U.S. AT&T expects to offer the service by the end of this year.

The No. 3 wireless carrier, Sprint Nextel, currently offers a video service over its 3G cellular network. Although Sprint Nextel has been testing MediaFlo since last year, it hasn’t said whether it plans to offer a live TV broadcast service to subscribers using the MediaFlo network.

Will my cell phone deliver descent TV?
Sprint Nextel, Verizon Wireless and Cingular Wireless have spent billions of dollars in recent years building 3G wireless networks to deliver new services such as video.

However, these networks are inadequate for delivering high volumes of live TV programming because they’re designed to deliver services in a “unicast” fashion. That means content is delivered to each individual subscriber when it’s requested. By contrast, MediaFlo is a dedicated network that broadcasts video to all viewers at once, just as a traditional broadcast television network does.

It’s worth noting that while U.S. carriers are embracing MediaFlo, European and Asian carriers seem to be gravitating toward DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld), a competing mobile TV standard.

Will these services attract a significant number of viewers?
It’s too early to say. What has been attracting plenty of media attention is the new generation of mobile TV phones. For example, Nokia made headlines earlier this year when it introduced the N77 phone, which features a 2.4-inch-wide, 16-milllion-color flat screen. The device lets you set reminders for when a favorite show is on, while a program guide enables you to choose your shows a week in advance. The Nokia N77, which supports the DVB-H standard, is slated to ship first in Europe this year for about $480.

So there you have it. Whether or not we’re ready for it, TV on a cell phone is here. Of course, whether consumers find the content compelling is another question altogether. For that, stay tuned.