OMVC still plugs local as the biggest driver for mobile TV

Five months into a consumer trial in Washington, D.C., the Open Mobile Video Coalition is now releasing more findings from its Mobile DTV service.
The trial service, which includes 23 channels of local and national news and entertainment programming, has 350 users on board who are using modified cellphones from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Mobile DTV-equipped netbooks from Dell Inc. (DELL) or Mobile DTV/DVD players from LG Electronics Inc.
The service is primarily watched during the work week and local news continues to lead viewing by number of episodes and total unique viewers, according to OMVC. By mid-September, consumers using the Samsung cellphones had tuned in to 2,600 different TV programs. Viewers also reported watching more TV than before, particularly outside of the home, either while commuting on public transit, during lunch breaks or while waiting in line at the market, for example.
OMVC also reports that Mobile DTV viewership increases substantially during public-safety emergencies such as approaching storms.
“Viewers participating in the Consumer Showcase of Mobile DTV say that local channels are critical to a succesful service. This tracks with a Magid Media Labs survey OMVC sponsored last December that found nearly nine out of 10 consumers said they wanted to see live news and weather programming while on the go. Our hands-on findings in Washington show that local channels will be the anchor for future Mobile DTV services,” ION Media Network CEO and OMVC President Brandon Burgess said in a prepared statement.
The consumer trial is expected to conclude on Nov. 1.