Mobile TV content got another boost this week as 12 major broadcast groups announced they’d be teaming up to form a national service for beaming programs to mobile devices live and on-demand, as well as content from print and electronic sources.
The group – consisting of Belo, Cox Media Group, E.W. Scripps, Fox, Gannett Broadcasting, Hearst Television, ION Television, Media General, Meredith Corp., NBC, Post-Newsweek Stations, and Raycom Media – believes it could use its significant amount of combined broadcast spectrum to reach 150 million U.S. residents with mobile content.
The service will purportedly use ATSC-M/H, which is an open broadcast transmission system created by the Advanced Television Systems Committee specifically for mobile devices.
“This venture is the first step in forging cross-industry and company partnerships to deliver content to consumers,” noted CEO of Fox Television Stations, Jack Abernethy.
David Barrett, president and CEO of Hearst Television added that “this sharing of content, broadcast spectrum, marketing resources, and capital is unprecedented.”
The undertaking will add to the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) efforts towards its National Broadband Plan which aims to offer people mobile access to video content while simultaneously reducing clogs to the US’ wireless broadband infrastructure.
