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Mobile TV: Asia major

Monday, 28 January 2008

Come with me to the CASBAA reading of Eastern cell phone viewing runes…

'Mobile TV in Asia', a report for members of the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) reckons that the regional market could be a goldmine but that there are non-trivial challenges waiting resolution

"Although mobile TV services could be a huge revenue source for broadcasters and advertising agencies, there are many issues that still need to be addressed before getting the industry onto the right track," comments CASBAA Mobile TV consultant Mike Walsh.

Citing Datamonitor research, the report reckons the number of mobile TV subscribers in Asia could hit 76.3mn in 2012 out of 156mn globally, up from an estimated 15mn in Asia today. However, says CASBAA, developing a feasible business model for mobile TV will require "…a healthy ecosystem … reliant on the integration between content providers, network operators and device manufacturers, as well as government regulation."

The report lists ten essentials for the commercial success of mobile TV in any new market: the network; ease of use; the ecosystem; devices; coverage; revenue; regulation; content; advertising; and lifestyle.

Also prophesying potentially great things for mobile TV in Asia is ABI Research. That company’s ‘Mobile TV Services’ analysis sees the total number of subscribers growing to 462mn, driven in large part by the expansion of 3G networks, and flat-rate plans for mobile video. The build-out of mobile video delivery networks and an increase in the amount of available content will also contribute to the market’s growth.

“Mobile operators’ sustained investment in video delivery will continue to be rewarded by subscribers’ growing adoption rates, particularly as they upgrade to new video-capable handsets,” reasons research director Mike Wolf. “Consumers are being increasingly enticed by better experiences through more powerful and larger screens as well as by a widening array of subscription options.”

ABI reckons the Asia-Pacific region will be the overall leader in the adoption of mobile video services. Its estimates have the number of subscribers to mobile video services in Asia-Pacific growing from 24mn in 2007 to more than 260mn by 2012. High levels of penetration will occur in both Japan and South Korea, each a leading market in mobile video services, while China and India will both contribute significantly to the overall total due to very large subscriber populations, even though the overall penetration of video services will remain much lower than in more technologically advanced countries.
John Williamson