BT has said that results from its pilot of its broadcast digital TV to mobile service, BT Movio – formerly known as BT Livetime – have demonstrated clear consumer demand for broadcast digital TV and radio to mobile phones when the service becomes available in the UK later this year. BT claimed that two thirds of its trial customers would be prepared to pay up to £8/month for the BT Movio service on their current mobile network, creating new revenue streams for mobile operators.
Set for commercial launch later this year, BT Movio intends to be the first wholesale mobile broadcast entertainment service to launch in the UK.
The service is broadcast using the Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) network and is navigated through a DAB delivered electronic programme guide (EPG) on a mobile TV phone.
Over the past four months BT Movio, together with its mobile operator partner for the pilot, Virgin Mobile, has been broadcasting digital TV and digital radio via a DAB-IP enabled smartphone to 1000 users in the M25 area. BT reported that the majority of its pilot users said that they would consider upgrading their mobile phone to one which supports the service. 73%t of participants stated that they would be prepared to pay for the service on their current network if the service was priced competitively. 38% were prepared to switch networks to receive this service.
Over three quarters of the pilot users tuned into digital TV and radio on their mobile on a weekly basis or more often, with the average length of TV viewing being more than one hour per week. A large proportion of pilot users stated that they want up to five types of mobile TV channels including a combination of news, sport, comedy, sitcoms and music.
On average users also tuned into the digital radio service for over one and a half hours every week. B
Emma Lloyd, Managing Director, BT Movio said: “It is clear from the very positive feedback we have had from the pilot that BT Movio will be in high demand from mobile users and operators alike. We are in commercial discussions with mobile operators about launching a consumer service after the launch of the wholesale service later this year.”
BT Movio also likes to position itself as complementary to 3G based mobile TV offerings, allowing unlimited users access to live broadcasts on multiple digital TV and radio channels.
Emma Lloyd said: “As the popularity of mobile TV grows, the UK will need a broadcast delivery mechanism. Delivered via the UK’s only national commercial DAB network – available right now – BT Movio will be the first “one to many” broadcast service to deliver live TV to UK mobile users.”
Lloyd’s point is that the other front runner for mobile broadcast – DVB-H – does not at the moment have spectru allocation in the UK.
Graeme Hutchinson, Sales & Marketing director of Virgin Mobile, said: “We’re really excited about digital mobile TV. It offers consumers the opportunity to stay tuned to their favourite programmes – wherever they are – and to watch them in a new, convenient and exciting way.
“Digital Mobile TV is one of the most consumer-friendly developments ever seen in the mobile industry – everyone watches TV – and with BT Movio, Virgin Mobile can offer a service that includes all that’s brilliant about modern digital television, such as a personal electronic programme guide, on a mobile phone.”