Leading mobile services provider Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and broadcast company 360media Corp. (360media) launched today the first commercial mobile TV service in the country. Branded myTV, the service enables mobile phone users to watch their favorite television programs anytime, anywhere.
For just P488 a month, Smart subscribers with mobile TV-capable handsets can now enjoy myTV’s range of top-rated TV channels including 24-hour news channel CNN, music channel MTV Philippines, kid channel Cartoon Network, documentary channel National Geographic Channel, local movie channel Pinoy Box Office, the highly acclaimed The History Channel, Solar Sports, Basketball TV, ETC and Jack TV, the last four on test. myTV has also announced that it will carry the PBA games live on its service beginning with its upcoming season.
This monthly package is available to both post- and pre-paid Smart subscribers. Other postpaid and prepaid plans offering various combinations of channels will soon be available.
The mobile TV package will be an additional charge on top of the regular postpaid airtime plans. Pre-paid subscribers on the other hand, need only maintain P1 airtime load on top of the P488-monthly myTV package to avail the service.
myTV is being offered by MediaQuest Holdings subsidiary 360media in cooperation with Smart. The service is being broadcast using the mobile TV platform called Digital Video Broadcasting – Handheld or DVB-H.
“Mobile TV is the latest life-changing innovation offered by Smart in partnership with MediaQuest. Through this service, we are enabling our subscribers to be informed and entertained through TV while on the go,” said Napoleon L. Nazareno, Smart president and CEO.
“Mobile TV is a natural for a market like the Philippines,” said MediaQuest and 360media Corp president and CEO Orlando Vea. “Studies show we average nearly four hours a day watching television. myTV will allow us even more viewing time and will forever change prime time TV as we know it.”
Initially, myTV can be viewed in Mega Manila (extending to North and South Luzon Expressway), Cebu, Davao,Tagaytay, Batangas, and Baguio City. Boracay and Cagayan de Oro will soon be covered.
“To give our subscribers an opportunity to try out the service, the service will be free until August 31,” said Danilo J. Mojica, head of Smart’s Wireless Consumer Division.
myTV can be accessed using DVBH-capable handsets -- such as the N92, and the upcoming N77. More DVBH handset models will be available later this year Smart is offering attractive post-paid mobile TV handset packages to support the launch of the new service. (Please attached handset plans.)
Consumer studies and service trials conducted by MediaQuest and Smart early this year show strong acceptance for Mobile TV.
The study cited features such as the flexibility of being able to watch TV anywhere, the handset’s portability and clear audio/video qualities, and the entertainment/relaxation derived from the service are key usage drivers.
Moreover, participants from the trial said they can envision themselves subscribing to myTV to monitor breaking news, keep abreast of sports events and soap operas, and fill dead time during long commutes, while stuck in traffic or waiting in line.
“This is great value for money. The monthly plan is affordable. Moreover, the content package includes a mix of popular channels plus channels that are either available only to premium cable TV packages or are exclusive to myTV. Finally, the service is mobile,” said Raymund T. Miranda, 360media Managing Director for Mobile TV.
Broadcast Quality
Programs on myTV can be viewed simultaneously by an unlimited number of subscribers, making it the ideal medium for real-time sports events, breaking news or live entertainment.
myTV is a broadcast service that delivers content to many viewers simultaneously through a digital TV broadcast signal optimized for mobile devices – very much like the way conventional TV delivers a TV signal to homes. myTV is not transmitted through the cellular network via video streaming and video-downloads services which is currently offered through 3G cellular networks.
In a recent report, research firm Informa Telecoms and Media forecasts that worldwide revenues from mobile TV and video services will rise from USD$2.46 billion in 2006 to USD$8.35 billion in 2011. A study by IMS Research published in August 2006 says nearly half a billion people will be watching TV on their mobile phones by the end of 2011. @
Smart's myTV
