Mobilizedtv

Behind the Mobile DTV Scenes

At the HPA Tech Retreat, I had breakfast with a few high-level broadcast and cable executives, who talked about TV spectrum, mobile, the wireless industry and other hot button topics. As the proverbial fly on the wall, I was there with the understanding that I would not reveal anyone’s identity or refer to them in any resulting article. I’m bringing you the salient points of the conversation with these Mystery Men, with the hope that the conversation–albeit anonymous–is enlightening.

The Brewing Battle Over Spectrum

Why should you care about the TV spectrum? In short, because the battle that’s brewing over it will impact TV, broadband and mobile. The argument from the wireless industry is that most people watch TV over cable or satellite, making OTA (over-the-air) a decreasingly important means of TV watching. The broadcasters are circling the wagons.

Six Tips for a Digital Transformation

At the Tech Retreat of the Hollywood Post Alliance–a confab of high-level tech executives in Hollywood–mobile TV was a topic of interest. ATSC’s Jerry Whitaker updated Mobile DTV, and an Ernst & Young analyst gave six tips for moving into the digital age.

Brightcove Unveils Mobile Experience for Adobe Flash Player 10.1

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, online video platform Brightcove launched its Brightcove Mobile Experience for Adobe Flash Player 10.1, enabling easy delivery of optimized video across smartphones running Flash Player 10.1. Those phones include Google Android, Symbian S60, Palm webOS, Windows Mobile and RIM BlackBerry.

Shooting People and Babelgum: a Mobile Content Partnership

Shooting People and Babelgum announced a strategic relationship on the opening day of the 60th Berlinale, in Berlin, Germany. With the terms of this partnership, a Shooting People curated selection of short films in the genres of Fiction, Documentary, Animation, Music Videos and Artists’ Film, will reach a global audience via Babelgum’s online platform and its free application for Apple’s iPhone & iPod Touch and Google’s Android devices.

Telegent: Free-to-Air Mobile TV in the Global Market

Telegent has been making analog mobile TV receivers since 2006. The company’s integrated chip is integrated into more than 80 handsets in Asia, Europe, African the Middle East and Latin America. MobilizedTV spoke with Telegent VP of marketing Diana Jovin about the company’s history, current position in the industry and where its product might fit in North America.

Mobile Video: All You Need to Know About Creation & Distribution

Produced in association with Fun Little Movies, and moderated by Fun Little Movies president/COO Frank Chindamo, this NATPE 2010 panel on mobile video featured Catherine Warren, president, FanTrust Entertainment Strategies, Jonathan Barzilay, SVP of programming and advertising at FLO TV and Amber Lawson, comedy publisher of Babelgum. What content delivers the best ROI? What are the best practices for monetizing mobile video?

Mobile Tools for Producers: Do You Need an App?

In a NATPE 2010 panel sponsored by the Producers Guild of America and its New Media Committee and Mobile Committee, moderator and producer John Heinsen of Bunnygraph Entertainment and a group of panelists talked turkey about some of the real life tools required to produce mobile content.

How to Monetize Mobile on TV: Experts Speak at NATPE

Produced in association with MEF (Mobile Entertainment Forum) and Impact Mobile, this NATPE panel on The Future of Mobile Monetization on TV: Mobile Promotions, Direct Response & Coupons, was moderated by David Mazur of MasurLaw and included Jim Beddows, chair of MEF Americas, Gary Schwartz, CEO of Impact Mobile, Karl Seelig, the pioneer of ringback tones and CEO of Ring Plus; David Kruis, CEO of Metranome and Matthew Snyder, founder/CEO of the mobile cross-media agency ADObjects.

NATPE 2010: Brands and Fans Online and On Mobile

NATPE–the National Association of TV Programming Executives–opens today, with a full afternoon schedule of panels devoted to mobile technology and content. MobilizedTV covered the panel Fans & Brands: Case Studies in Co-Creation and Connectivity, moderated by Allison Dollar of ITA (the Interactive TV Alliance).

mSpot Launches Horror Movie App

If you’re a fan of creepy, campy horror movies, you’re in luck. Mobile entertainment provider mSpot has just launched a subscription-based iPhone app devoted to the best of the bunch, making full-length movies available instantly, without downloading, waiting, or syncing to PC. The mSpot Horror Movie App costs $3.99 for unlimited access for one month to the list of 10+ movies, which are refreshed weekly.

ATSC to Hold Mobile DTV Seminar

If you’re interested in delving more deeply into Mobile DTV and you live in the Washington, D.C. area, think about signing up for Advanced Television Systems Committee’s one-day seminar on the topic. An ATSC spokesperson said that non-ATSC members were welcome to attend the seminar. The ATSC Mobile DTV Seminar will take place from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Hogan & Hartson Law Offices, Fullbright Conference Center at 555 13th Street, NW in Washington. DC

CES 2010: Mobile Wrap-Up

One billion people will own a smartphone by 2013. That statistic was bandied about in the days before CES and the best description of the ecosystem that will make mobile content, entertainment, commerce and marketing/advertising an immense force in the media landscape.

The energy behind Mobile DTV is impressive. The Open Mobile Video Coalition has been busy making alliances and convincing manufacturers to build devices that are compatible with the ATSC signal. Having watched the painfully slow creep towards High Definition for nearly two decades, the speed with which Mobile DTV has been standardized and productized is breath-taking.

CES 2010: Mobile DTV Launches

MobilizedTV predicted going into CES 2010 that it would be a big show for the introduction of new mobile devices and products. And so it is. CES 2010 is also the grand entrance of Mobile DTV, the U.S. broadcasters’ mobile play. Here’s a rundown on some of the most prominent launches at the show.

Mobile TV: Predictions for 2010

Every year for the past ten, pundits have enthusiastically predicted the coming year would be “the year of mobile.” Every year, alas, they’ve been proven wrong. Towards the end of 2009 and beginning of this new year, the pundits are prognosticating again. MobilizedTV lists here what some of the experts have been saying about mobile TV, mobile marketing, mobile advertising and mobile content in general for 2010. You be the judge.

Documentaries Go Mobile with CINELAN/Babelgum Deal

If you like documentaries and mobile content, life is about to get much more interesting. CINELAN, a library of 3-minute films by award-winning filmmakers, just signed a mobile/Internet distribution deal with Babelgum. CINELAN documentary filmmakers include Steve James (Hoop Dreams), Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight), Ross Kauffman (Born Into Brothels), Spurlock and Jessica Yu (Breathing Lessons), who also serve on CINELAN’s Advisory Board

Rhythm NewMedia Updates Mobile Advertising with Brand Building

MobilizedTV spoke with Ujjal Kohli, CEO of Rhythm NewMedia about the status of mobile advertising, with an update on the progress his company has made in 2009. Here’s what he had to say:2009 has been a very good year for mobile advertising. The mobile web has grown a lot; all the mobile ad networks have seen that growth. Most of it is display advertising to support the sale of mobile content, games or ringtones. All of that culminated in the $750 million sale of AdMob to Google.

Mobile Content and the Future of Film

The Future of Film Summit in Santa Monica considered mobile content in a panel “Dialing up the Fourth Screen–Next Wave of Mobile Film and Video Entertainment.” There are 4 billion handsets in the world, and 40 to 45 percent of them are video-capable. Is anyone making money? And, if so, how? Read on for what these mobile executives had to say…

NATPE & Writer’s Bootcamp to Indie Producers: It’s a Creator-Centric World

Find where your audience lives…and take your show there, whether it’s online, on mobile or on TV. That was one of the emphatic messages delivered by several new media experts to an overflow crowd of independent filmmakers. The event, which was organized jointly by the National Association of Television Programming Executives (NATPE) and Writer’s Bootcamp, was an effort to get creatives–be they screenwriters or directors–to think creatively about multi-platform distribution.

Mobile Highlights at CES 2010

If you’re interested in content on mobile devices, visit CES (Consumer Electronics Show) January 7 to 10, 2010. Mobile content will play a major role in numerous areas on the show floor as well as in the conference portion of the show.