TV Stations Join Forces to Promote Mobile TV

Nine of the largest US television broadcast groups have formed an industry alliance to accelerate the development of mobile digital broadcast television, the "Open Mobile Video Coalition". The nice companies are Belo, Fox Television, Gannett Broadcasting, Gray Television, ION Media, the NBC & Telemundo Television Stations, Sinclair Broadcast and Tribune Broadcasting.

Estimates for 2007 U.S. sales of portable and mobile devices capable of video playback run as high as 100 million units. These include sales of video-capable mobile phones, personal media players, portable game players, imaging devices, notebook PCs, and in-car entertainment devices. With the addition of a low-cost receiver module, each of these devices could be built to receive DTV broadcasts from any of the 1,600 digital television stations in the U.S. that choose to transmit mobile capable signals.

The nine initial members of the Open Mobile Television Coalition collectively own and operate 281 television stations in 110 U.S. markets (including Puerto Rico), covering 95 million television homes, or 85% of total TV households. This includes coverage of at least one station in all top 20 DMA markets, 49 of the top 50 markets, and 83 of the top 100 markets."

Posted to the site on 16th April 2007