Mobile TV Gets A Big Boost

Written by Adam Gosling

Friday, 20 July 2007

At first blush there doesn't seem much to Telstra BigPond's Mobile TV announcement other than some new content deal and a commitment to make first run TV shows available the day after they screen on the free to air broadcast channels, but what the announcement does is signal Telstra's commitment to become a major media player. The volume of content to be available on the new service sets a new benchmark for Mobile TV in the AUstralian market. There will be some cool content and some cool features for sure. While SpongeBob Squarepants may not make me willing to sign up to Next G, the ability to pause and rewind my video content probably will be. The chance to keep keep a show I've purchased for up to a week may also appeal. A week is the least Telstra can do since, the asking price of A$4.95 for a full length episode is a little steep. BigPond TV on Telstra's Next G network will have a programing line-up that focuses on existing brands like South Park, The Chaser's War on Everything, even Beavis & Butt-Head, Jackass, Family Guy and Dilbert. These new shows will be backed up by BigPond's existing content including football (both AFL and NRL) and the V8's. Announced also, was that BigPond is in negotiations with top studios to keep on adding to the range of shows. A deal already struck with Sony Pictures Television International will see the new TV series' Damages and Kidnapped, will be coming soon as 'catch up' TV. In addition there's also access to brand new Australian "made for mobile programs" Big 5, featuring Hamish and Andy, and Girl Friday, a situation comedy based around the life of a single, female office worker. There's also an new format Telstra is calling a minisode which is the original episode of a TV show like Charlie's Angels or Starsky & Hutch, only its edited down to five minutes so you can watch it while waiting for the bus. At the other end of the scale, longer shows will be 'chaptered' with menus like a DVD allowing full length programs to be viewed piecemeal. Telstra says it is the first non US-service to offer full episodes of South Park and the first to offer 'Catch Up TV' with major US shows. Related news items Nokia E51: Smarter Than It Looks -19/09/2007 Footy On Your Phone -16/09/2007 Telstra Launches Another Coonan Attack -12/09/2007 Doh! Phone Pirate Could Get Five Years -17/08/2007 Free iBurst Broadband In Sydney -16/08/2007 Newer news items Yellow Cabs Offer New Mobile Booking Service -24/08/2007 Australian Idol Live On Next G -19/08/2007 3 Trials Alternative Mobile TV Technology -15/08/2007 Nokia Adds PlayReady -06/08/2007 Mobile Apps Worth Billions To Operators -01/08/2007 Older news items Google Begins Taunting Cell Phone Carriers -19/07/2007 Google Experiments With AdSense For Mobile -16/07/2007 Nokia Takes A Skype Tablet -11/07/2007 Big Brother Fans Go TXT Crazy On 3 -08/07/2007 Live Earth Uses TXT To Get Message Across -06/07/2007 Tag This Now: