Mobile TV got another boost from SmartVideo Technologies Inc., which announced an advertising-supported streaming music video service for mobile-phone users. The service will feature videos culled from Digital Music Video Network and will be free to end users.
“Fans of music videos are members of the young, savvy demographic that are also early adopters of mobile media,” said Richard Bennett Jr., SmartVideo’s president and chief executive officer. “We are excited to be able to satisfy the demand for musical content on wireless phones while also blazing the trail for a fully ad-supported channel, the closest thing in the mobile media arena to a traditional broadcast network. We believe that this channel will educate smart-phone users on the entertainment value of mobile video and help us attract new subscribers to our other mobile video offerings. We are excited about the prospect of diversifying our existing revenue stream with the addition of advertising revenue to our current subscription-only base.”
SmartVideo said its video offering will be available on devices running a Windows Mobile Media player, and later on devices with other media players like RealNetworks Inc.’s RealPlayer for mobile phones. Users will be able to view the music videos without having to pay a subscription fee to SmartVideo-although they will have to pay for carrier data charges. The quality of the video will depend on the speed of a user’s wireless connection. SmartVideo said advertising revenues will support the video feed, and that ads will be displayed during music videos as well as in between music videos.
Mobile TV has sparked major interest in the wireless industry. Sprint, Verizon and others offer video services over their networks, and Crown Castle and Qualcomm Inc. are building networks dedicated to broadcasting TV content to mobile devices.
“The high-quality, full-motion video blows everyone away when they see it on a phone the first time,” said Jim Robinson, president of the DMV Network. “Along with its iron-tight security controls, SmartVideo is the ideal partner with which to launch our network on the third screen.”
