Japanese Mobile TV Partners Move Together
November 30th, 2006Japanese mobile giant DoCoMo has announced plans to work with Fuji Television Network Inc and Nippon Broadcasting System to develop new TV services for mobile phones. The trio, together with some smaller technology companies and the satellite TV broadcaster Sky Perfect Communications, will form a Yen 30 million joint venture, aimed at developing new mobile multimedia services.
According to press reports in Japan, the group will also promote a home-grown digital broadcast standard for mobile TV and will try to put pressure on the Japanese regulators to reallocate some frequency to mobile TV services in the future.
Free digital broadcast to mobile phones, known as “One-Seg” began in April of this year. However, the service is currently limited to broadcasts of regular TV programmes transmitted at the same time as they air on normal TV. Some regional regulators have said they may allow distribution of content made specifically for mobile phones from 2008.
DoCoMo had already brought a small stake in Fuji TV in an attempt to boost its development of content for mobile TV. However, it is not yet clear how mobile operators will make money from such free TV services; they hope mobile phone-specific programmes will allow scope for new types of advertisements.
