Will a Staggering Economy Upend Mobile TV?

摘要

For the last few years, the promise of mobile TV has turned itself into one fascinating and challenging puzzle. What to do with it? How to monetize it? ‖ Throwing in a recessionary economy adds more financial uncertainty. "Mobile TV, like anything else, could get hit hard," says William Ganon, senior VP of advertising strategy for GoldSpot Media, a Sunnyvale, Calif., mobile ad technology company. "Any discretionary dollars are going to be under sharp scrutiny by consumers." ‖ The idea of mobile TV seems to mesmerize the industry, though so far very few people have phones or devices capable of receiving it-and few of those who do ever watch it. ‖ Mobile TV has already had its stops and starts, what with new technologies, faster networks and a diverse number of new video-enabled mobile phones, such as the iPhone. Now, with the economy apparently in the midst of a recession that analysts say could linger, consumers may be looking to cut back on their extra spending where they typically pay an additional $10 to $25 a month for mobile video. ‖ Brad Adgate, senior VP and corporate research director for media agency Horizon Media, says there could be a cooling for mobile media. On the other hand, he says, "The one thing cellphones have is their popularity with the youth market. They want all those bells and whistles. The youth market may be less susceptible to an economic slowdown." ‖ But Ganon and others say it is imperative that the industry look to move to free or nearly free mobile TV service that is advertising-supported, just like mobile TV's digital cousin, the Internet.