Vodafone Adds New TV Channels

Vodafone has added eight new channels to its Mobile TV program in Germany, since “mobile phone TV is now one of Vodafone’s most popular information and entertainment services” (personally, I’d like to see some stats and figures on this, since the sentence could be based on anything, and Vodafone is offering the service completely free until the end of the year – a sign that take-up is lower than hoped for). However, some interesting tidbits:

  • This is what I’ve been waiting for: One of the channels is Bitfilm GmbH’s “Short Film” channel, which will be presenting a new short film on every weekday. I think mobile phones are perfect for showing short films, and has the potential to provide a decent revenue stream to the creators. I love short films, but at the moment I can only watch them at festivals or whatever I can scrounge on the Web.
  • Another channel is “Cinema TV”, where people can watch “the top 5 cinema blockbusters and all the week’s movie premieres, plus interviews and background information”. I find it hard to believe Vodafone means the entire movie.
  • Two of the new channels, Deutsches Wetter Fernsehen and Eurosport, won’t be broadcasting content that has been specifically produced for mobile phones, but the original TV programmes.

Vodafone is also preparing for the launch of broadcast TV on the DVB-H standard, following a successful trial in Berlin, but is refusing to give any details. “It is not yet known when and how DVB-H will be launched. Vodafone is currently testing possibilities for designing a corresponding service and the business model required for this.”
In a seperate announcement, T-Online is expanding its Video-On-Demand service to mobile devices, but the files have to be downloaded onto a PC and then synchronized with a mobile device.
Of course, for those who have been blinded by our fantastic CTIA coverage, CeBIT is also happening in Germany. Many vendors are pushing TV on mobiles, but this article is skeptical the service will take off. Aside from raising the “why would anyone want to watch the latest episode of “EastEnders” or “The West Wing” on a screen that’s roughly the size of one or two large postage stamps?” question it focuses on every problem the industry is likely to face, including a fragmented standards market and problems with revenue sharing.
Related stories:
Music, TV and Photos to Lead at CTIA
Norwegian TV Airs Live From Mobile Phone
‘Mobile generation’ going back to the tube

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