MEMBER PROFILE
Inside Look at MediaFLO
By
Feb 16, 2007 - 3:47:10 AM

The year of 2007 is shaping up to be the year of mobile video as companies like Qualcomm, AT&T, and Verizon, together with dozens of broadcast and cable networks that include CBS, ESPN, Comedy Central, Fox, MTV and NBC, will deliver nearly 30 channels of video to cellphones and other mobile devices that contain a MediaFLO receiver chip.

Cellular video is nothing new but the MediaFLO approach is. Qualcomm will use over-the-air TV spectrum it bought at auction, using terrestrial signals instead of cellular signals. The advantage? A stable experience upwards of 30 frames per second that doesn’t suffer as more viewers receive the signal and also doesn’t rob cellular networks of valuable bits.

Viewers will initially receive a combination of live simulcast, video clips, and reruns of sports, primetime, and news content to cellphones. But future services will enhance that offering, making cellphones and other devices truly multimedia capable.

Gina Lombardi, MediaFLO president, discussed the possibilities and challenges with SVG Editorial Director Ken Kerschbaumer.

Q: MediaFLO recently announced a deal with AT&T, following on a deal with Verizon that was announced earlier this year. What should consumers and content providers expect out of the AT&T deal?

A: We’ll launch the service on AT&T in late 2007 with the Verizon Vcast service launching sometime next quarter. We’ll announce the handsets and pricing of the services as we get closer but it will be the MediaFLO service plus some “clip casting” and datacasting that will push sports scores, stock prices, weather reports and more in realtime. We expect to have live sports scores from 12 sports, including baseball, basketball and golf.

Q: How will MediaFLO be different from other mobile video applications?

A: The handsets will have a TV button and when the user hits that they’ll instantly see a program guide with channels from ESPN, CBS, NBC, MTV, Fox, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central and more. They then use the phone like a remote controller, watching whatever channels they want.

Q: What kind of content will be on the service?

A: The service will feature live events seen on ESPN, an NBC News Channel with the Today Show, the nightly news with Brian Williams and CNBC, and also news from CBS and Fox. There will also be favorite primetime shows like Prison Break and 24, SpongeBob Squarepants, the Daily Show, and even Late Night with David Letterman. We’re also testing movies on mobile phones.

Q: What about sports?

A: It will have live sports from, among others, ESPN, CBS Sports and Fox Sports.

Q: Are the channels total simulcasts of network TV?

A: No. Each network is creating a made-for-mobile service. Fox, for example, will bring the best of Fox primetime, sports, and Fox News content to the channel. And CBS will bring us content cleared for wireless, like Letterman which will be simulcast with the TV broadcast. NBC has done the same for Heroes.

So we think it will be a real compelling mobile TV offering. We’ve done research over the past few years of people who are passionate about TV and found out what they liked and, more importantly, how they wanted to mobile experience to be different. For example, primetime on a mobile phone is around lunch hour or during a commute, waiting for a plane or a doctor’s appointment. So a primetime program might also be rebroadcast the next morning.

Q: Will there be advertising?

A: It will be offered as a monthly subscription and it will have ads. But people are used to TV ads and if they don’t want to watch them they can always change the channel.

Q: Do you think advertisers will find it compelling?

A: From an advertising standpoint there’s an opportunity to reach an individual consumer, not just a household. We’ll be able to provide relevant advertising and also ask the user if they want to share any demographic material to receive relevant ads. And initially that will be national and then we’ll add local capabilities, as we understand the market demand.

Q: You mentioned watching movies but something like that always brings up the issue of battery drain.

A: Well the beauty of the FLO technology is it was designed as a multicast service that optimizes battery life. Users will be able to watch a movie or talk on the phone for the same amount of time.

Q: Obviously carrying live sports brings up the issue of blackout restrictions, something MediaFLO can handle. How does that work?

A: We’ll know where you are so if you’re in, say, San Diego and there is blackout of a Padres game you won’t be able to watch it. But you will be able to listen to it.

Q: But if I’m a San Diego resident but on vacation in Florida I’ll be able to watch the game, correct?

A: Yes.

Q: I’ve been using Verizon’s Vcast service for the past two years. So will I need a new phone?

A: Yes, you’ll have to buy a phone with the MediaFLO chip that can talk to the network.

Q: Cellular video has yet to catch on with consumers. Why do you think MediaFLO will succeed?

A: First, with AT&T and Verizon we’ll be available to more than 50% of the nation’s cellphone users. And we’ve built out our nationwide network so we’ll be in the top 20 or 30 markets and launch and will continue growing.

But we’ll also have a dedicated network that isn’t taking up cellular bandwidth from text, voice and music services. And our content partners and AT&T and Verizon understand there is a power to being able to watch Letterman on a cellphone and then at noontime the next day. And it’s easy for the consumer to use: they press a button and see a program guide just like on TV. Our consumer research shows that people get the concept.



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