Cell TV

Date: Jan 27, 2005
Contributor: Mathew Mcinnes

Cell phone may soon become cell TV

Coming to a cell near you: mobisodes.

No, "mobisode" isn't a new name for episodes of "The Sopranos," and cell doesn't refer to jail cells. It stands for mobile episodes - receiving television episodes on your cell phone.

Verizon Wireless will begin delivering 26 one-minute original mobisodes of the Fox series "Love and Hate" and "The Sunset Hotel," produced by Twentieth Television, the company said yesterday. The production studio is also working on episodes called "24: Conspiracy," an offshoot of the Fox hit show "24" that stars Kiefer Sutherland.

The services are now possible through Verizon's 3G network, which offers high-speed Internet access on cell phones. The company will start its new broadcast service, VCAST, and its 3G services to consumers next Tuesday. Verizon's 3G service was previously available only to business customers.

VCAST, which will cost $15 a month on top of the regular Verizon service, will provide the mini-episodes as well as NBC newscasts, weather, sports, 3-D video games, Comedy Central programming and music from MTV and VH1. Video games will incur an extra charge. Verizon probably won't charge extra for air time, Verizon spokesman Jeffrey Nelson said.

"They're actually shooting news or weather or whatever for our phones," Nelson said.

Each week, Verizon will release a new mobisode. Subscribers can click a button, and in about eight seconds, the mobisode will start playing. Eventually, Verizon might offer reruns as well, Nelson said.

The service will require special phones that work with the 3G high-speed network. A phone by LG will cost $199 after rebates, and a Samsung phone will cost $249.99 after rebates with a two-year contract.

Such cell-phone services have been used in Asia and Europe and have finally made their way west, analysts said.

"I don't think we're seeing any runaway success," said Michael King, principal analyst with Gartner, a technology research company in Stamford, Conn.

Charles Golvin, principal analyst with Forrester Research, a technology research company in Cambridge, Mass., said it would take unique programming to make these services popular.

"There has to be something compelling about it to get the user to watch it on their cell phone, given that the experience is going to fall far short in terms of quality and screen size from what's delivered to a television set," he said.




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