STOCKHOLM, Sweden-L.M. Ericsson said it has conducted a live trial of interactive mobile TV services with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corp.
Ericsson explained that the trial demonstrated how consumers could use their phone to vote, chat and communicate with a TV presenter while watching a show-all at the same time. The company said it launched a downloadable client with the NRK for the existing interactive TV format, Svisj, which enabled users to vote for which music video they wanted played next and to chat with each other as well as the host of the program.
“This is interactivity with a vengeance,” said Gunnar Garfors, director of Mobile Services at the NRK Development Division. “We are making it easier for our audiences to view mobile TV and participate in shows, no matter where they are.”
“Our solution makes it possible for viewers to interact with a show that they are watching on their mobile device in a whole new way, creating a much richer TV experience with the help of the mobile channel,” said Kurt Sillen, vice president of Mobility World at Ericsson.
Ericsson said its interactive mobile TV application is an end-to-end solution based on existing technology, which enables mobile-phone users to watch streamed TV programs live and at the same time interact with the show. The company noted that the offering could spell increased traffic for networks and new revenues from content fees, additional advertising and paid interactions such as voting, chatting and greetings.
Ericsson also announced its new mobile TV client software that offers a channel selector for mobile handsets.
The company said that studies from its Consumer and Enterprise Lab show that the average time spent watching each mobile TV program will be shorter compared to traditional TV, making a fast channel switching mechanism important.
Ericsson said that when switching to a new channel via its solution, the channel is visible on the mobile screen in less than 3 seconds.
