Search and Mobile TV
Posted by Michael from Seattle, WA, US on February 28, 2007
What impact will search have on Mobile TV consumption? How will content as it relates to Mobile TV get discovered? What actions are needed to enable content discovery?
Search is a defacto standard for web browsing and content consumption via the web. This has become the primary solution for long tail economics. Mobile search has limitations because of several factors; size of device, screen, input restrictions, etc. The onus thus is on "us" the industry specialists, to provide content in an easy to reach and consumable format. Using the information provided by the user, we can make sure that the right content is delivered to the right person. The search experience on a mobile device must be in tune with the user. So when search for content as it relates to Mobile TV, - there are 2 things to consider,
1. Learning about the user and from the user
2. Finding content for the user, rather than searching it
“Long Tail” Effect
Posted by Michael from Seattle, WA, US on February 28, 2007
What effect could the “long tail” concept for content have on mobile TV? How might the trend direct (or redirect) carriers’ technology deployment as they consider unicast vs. broadcast delivery methods?
Mobile TV offered via cellular network utilize a streaming technology over point-to-point connections (PTP) called Unicast. With unicast, data packets are transmitted from a single source to a single destination, e.g. a content server to a mobile terminal. The cellular operators can easily expand their unicast capacity and capitalize on their network investments. The current introductions of HSPA will more than double the capacity for unicast Mobile TV in cellular networks with limited investments and smooth upgrades.
Large-scale market deployment with mass Mobile TV services will require new network capabilities of point-to-multipoint (PTM) - commonly referred to as Broadcast - as well as support in the mobile terminal. With broadcast, data packets are simultaneously transmitted from a single source to multiple destinations. With the introduction of MBMS, the peak load situations can be handled by allowing a large number of users to watch the same TV show, by sharing the same radio bearer in the same area and same time.
By using a combination of Unicast and Broadcast it is possible to optimize the usage of the network capacity and investments. Broadcast bearers can be used for the most popular programs and an unlimited number of additional programs and on-demand content - "long tail "/ niche content , will continue to be delivered efficiently over Unicast. In the combined Unicast and broadcast scenario, the end user will not notice if content is delivered over Unicast or broadcast. The end user will only have one user interface (TV client) in one terminal to access all content. The combination of Unicast and broadcast will hence be the best way to meet personalization and mass market.
Advertising & Mobile TV
Posted by Chris from Plano, TX, US on February 27, 2007
Will mobile TV eventually move to an advertising-supported model that is free or almost free to users? Will those ads be interactive in some way?
Advertising in a Mobile TV context will be a way for a service provider to subsidize some part of the content. Premium value content is expected to be paid for in larger extent and the acceptance of ads will probably be lower for this content. The ads in Mobile TV provided on a cellular network, could be made interactive and targeted ( on user and geographic knowledge) as trialed in Norway currently with NRK . These capabilities are a compelling proposition to bring to advertisers as the impact and value of the ads increases as the receiver is better known.
