Webcast: The Business of Mobile TV: Pricing, Content and Predictions

There’s no doubt:  One of the most interesting, challenging, potentially lucrative – and hyped – technologies in the wireless and television marketplace is mobile television.

A massive ecosystem….

Mobile TV has produced a massive global ecosystem of participants: cellular operators, handset and network infrastructure manufacturers, content providers from major TV networks and independent producers, applications developers, content aggregators and advertising agencies.

From the United States to Europe, from Asia to Latin America, videos are being broadcast – employing a variety of different “standards” – to millions of cellular-phone users.  And it’s just the start of the Mobile TV business.

….With massive confusion

It’s also the start of a huge amount of confusion.

>>One research firm says worldwide revenues for mobile videos will be $5.6 billion by 2009 – an increase of almost 12,000 percent compared with 2005.  However, another firm says worldwide revenues will reach $11.7 billion by 2011.

>>One research firm forecasts 102 million mobile TV subscribers by the end of 2010.  Another firm forecasts 514 million subscribers by 2011.

>>One European cellular operator is surprised by the unexpectedly large number of subscribers to its new Mobile TV service.  Another European cellular operator is disappointed by its lack of subscribers.

>>Some analysts proclaim the future is in “video snacking” with programs of only a few minutes long.  Other analysts promote the value of long programs, 30 minutes or more.

Who knows?

The opportunities are significant, but what are the facts? “The Business of Mobile TV” Webinar will provide the facts: It’s a detailed, but concise practical analysis of the state of the industry and predictions for the future. 

It’s designed specifically to help you understand the complicated business dynamics and to plan for the future of Mobile TV.

This Webinar will analyze such major issues as:  Revenue opportunities, the pros and cons of Mobile TV content-payment models (e.g., subscription, flat rate, per-video), content formats (e.g., live traditional broadcast/cable TV programs, cellular-only programs, spinoffs of existing TV shows), the convergence strategies of cellular operators and major TV networks, lessons from Mobile TV ventures around the world, and the medium- and long-term viability of Mobile TV.

To provide this analysis, we’ve put together a stellar panel of speakers from the major Mobile TV business segments:

●  Sprint – Steve Fletcher, product marketing general manager, Sprint TV

●  Discovery Channel – Doug Craig, vice president/New Media

●  MTV Networks – Greg Clayman, vice president/Wireless Strategy & Operations

●  M:Metrics -- Mark Donovan, vice president/Products and senior analyst

●  Wireless Internet & Mobile Computing – Alan A. Reiter, president (moderator)

The best and the brightest: Sprint is considered by many analysts to provide the best, most comprehensive Mobile TV service in the United States. The Discovery Channel and MTV Networks offer a wealth of programs and video clips in the United States and abroad. M:Metrics is one of the premier research firms in wireless communications. And Wireless Internet & Mobile Computing has been analyzing wireless data for more than two decades.

Webinar schedule in detail:

Overall Mobile TV Business

●  Who is making money in the Mobile TV business: Operators, content providers, handset manufacturers, infrastructure vendors?

●  What are the current projections for revenues in different Mobile TV segments?

●  What types of Mobile TV content is available now, and what’s the most popular?

●  Are there any regulatory stumbling blocks in the United States?

Cellular Operators

●  What is the status of Mobile TV products and services by cellular operators in the United States and abroad?

●  What are the major problems/challenges to dramatically growing the business?

●  How will the different “standards” (DVB-H, MediaFLO, S-DMB, etc.) affect Mobile TV quality and revenues?

Content Providers

●  How are major broadcast/cable networks and independent producers responding to Mobile TV as a strategy for their corporate businesses?

●  How will/should Mobile TV content change to increase the business?

●  What business plans need to be developed (e.g., payments for actors/producers, advertising vs. subscriptions, production costs)?

●  Will user-generated content/citizen journalism have a major affect on the business?

The Future

●  How can the Mobile TV industry get cellular users to watch Mobile TV? Contests, discounts, push technology?

●  How will Mobile TV devices need to improve?

●  Are there any new technological developments on the horizon that will dramatically improve the Mobile TV experience?

●  Will Mobile TV change today’s television industry in any significant way?

Audience Participation

If you’re a cellular operator, handset manufacturer, network infrastructure vendor, content provider, application developer or advertising agency, you need to participate in “The Business of Mobile TV” Webinar.

Unlike many Webinars, “The Business of Mobile TV” will be run as a dynamic panel discussion.  Instead of formal presentations, one after the other, by each speaker, the moderator instead will ask questions to generate a lively discussion.

Also, we’ll take e-mail questions from Webinar listeners.  If there’s an important issue you want discussed, you’ll be able to ask a question that will be relayed by the moderator.

And as a special free gift, you'll receive a PDF version of the best and most pertinent Mobile TV business features that have appeared in TelecomWeb's e-letters Wireless Business Forecast, Inside Digital TV and TelecomWeb news break. This is proprietary information, available only to our Webinar participants.

If you have any questions now about the Webinar subjects or format, please don’t hesitate to contact Debra Wayne, managing editor, The Telecom Intelligence Group, at 301/354-1801 or dwayne@accessintel.com.

Feature Speakers >

Greg Clayman Vice President/Wireless Strategy & Operations MTV Networks	Mark Donovan Vice President/Products & Senior Analyst M:Metrics	Alan A. Reiter President Wireless Internet & Mobile Computing	Doug Craig Vice President/New Media Discovery Channel

System Requirements: The webcast runs entirely through Internet Explorer.  You will need Windows Media or Real Media installed on your computer as well as speakers with which to hear. You can visit www.talkpoint.com/test to see how your system will work out.