MILTON KEYNES, U.K.- Mobile TV provider ROK Entertainment scored a major win last week, outperforming two carrier-affiliated services in a study from Strategy Analytics.
The market research firm said Vodafone Live was the wireless video service of choice in a benchmark survey of wireless users conducted last month. Surprisingly, ROK’s offering-which simply transmits traditional TV broadcasts to mobile phones via GPRS-bested MobiTV service from the carrier 3, the firm found, as well as Orange TV, which had too many technical problems even to be evaluated.
Vodafone Live was deemed the best service in each of the four major categories, comprising usability, audiovisual quality, network performance and content. MobiTV’s service was deemed worst of the three for audiovisual quality and network performance; ROK was the lowest-scoring in usability and content.
Overall lukewarm results suggest that “end users are not particularly impressed by any of the current UK mobile TV services,” Strategy Analytics found, but the study is a victory for ROK nonetheless. The company is sure to beef up its content portfolio as it gains traction, and its usability problems may not be tough to address.
The company’s service, which recently became available to U.S. subscribers, uses 2.5G technology, giving it a substantial edge over 3G services in terms of addressable audience.
ROK offers a 13-channel lineup for about $18 a month; an a la carte model allows users to pick individual channels for $1.80 each per month. The company also offers a “place-shifting” service that transmits video from home TV units to mobile phones via a piece of hardware that sells for $465 or can be rented for $22 a month.
ROK also offers service in China, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey.
