The concept of mobile TV has been positioned as The Next Big Thing in the telco space for some time, but it has yet to take off. However, Qualcomm and Sony are both positioning themselves to try to change that this year.
Sony has announced a new application for fans watching games at Arsenal's Emirates stadium called Arsenal TV Matchday +, which will stream match content direct to Sony PSPs. It is intended to complement the live game experience by offering replays from a number of camera angles, stats and other info, man-of-the-match voting and other footie scores.
There is a secure, hidden Wi-Fi network in the Emirates, which PSP users will only be able to access if they download the app and, for the rest of this season, pay a tenner. The Emirates is the first stadium to install such a system but, of course, Sony is hoping others will follow.
Elsewhere, Qualcomm is showing no signs of reducing its continued investment in FLO TV - a true mobile TV technology that uses different spectrum from standard mobile phone networks - having purchased no less than three ad slots for next weekend's Super Bowl.
Having achieved limited success in getting FLO TV onto mobile phone handsets, Qualcomm launched its own stand-alone FLO TV device late last year. These ads are designed to not only bring attention to the brand, but to the general concept of mobile TV.
Super Bowl ad slots are probably the most expensive in the world and, additionally, Qualcomm has recruited rock legends The Who, as well as several other stars, to feature on the ads, one of which will air just before kick-off. "All three spots introduce viewers to mobile TV and our FLO TV Personal Television, which are some of the many ways in which FLO TV lets people take live TV with them wherever they go," said Jayne Hancock, VP of marketing for FLO TV.
These bits of news also mark a change in direction for mobile TV, with the emphasis being put more on consumer electronic devices rather than mobile phones. We could imagine this sort of technology also being popular on tablet devices, which look like being one of the big stories of 2010.
