Convergence Conversation

A brief history of mobile broadcast TV in Europe: between football and political influence

In May 2006, 3 Italia launched the first mobile broadcast TV service in Italy. In an atmosphere of scepticism, the operator undertook a significant financial investment and rolled out its own DVB-H network. At the time, the operation seemed risky and there was uncertainty about the return of investment. However, the sceptics were forced to reassess their position when the football World Cup 2006 came around. By the end of the Cup in August 2006, 3 Italia had more than 100,000 mobile TV users. 3 Italia was able to offer a good deal to football fans: high-quality viewing of matches on their mobile phones at a reasonable price. The World Cup 2006 had also pushed mobile operators in other European countries, including Digita in Finland, MFD and T-Mobile in Germany, to test mobile broadcast TV services.

After football fever subsided, mobile broadcast TV once again became a contentious issue in the mobile industry. Business models, content quality, pricing strategies and regulatory issues were all variables of an equation that was difficult to solve. Viviane Reading, the EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media, energetically renewed the debate declaring that “..mobile television is a prime example of digital convergence, which can generate new business opportunities and benefit consumers. By bringing audiovisual content to personal mobile terminals, mobile TV is indeed at the cutting edge of high-value, innovative services.” (14 March 2007). Since then, the European Commission has strongly promoted the development of mobile broadcast TV, backing the DVB-H as a pan-European standard. In March 2008, DVB-H was officially included in the EU List of Standards. The EU actions fostered new trials throughout Europe, including in Eastern European countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. Other industry players have also tried to test alternative solutions to DVB-H such as TDtv and MediaFLO in the UK.

This renewed enthusiasm may potentially bring commercial solutions to the market if the national regulatory frameworks are clearly established and if mobile operators are ready to explore the mobile broadcast TV space. On the regulatory side, a recent report by the Broadcast Mobile Convergence Forum (March 2008) claimed that a clear framework has been established in Italy, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria. In the UK, licences are expected to be granted in Q3 2009. For mobile operators, the UEFA Euro Cup 2008 seemed to be the trigger for a launch of mobile broadcast TV services. In May 2008, commercial solutions were launched in Switzerland, Austria, and the Netherlands.

The short history of mobile broadcast TV in Europe seems to be defined by big events and strong political support. The question is whether it will be able to find its own way. Following the experience of 3 Italia, the answer should be positive. At the end of August 2007, 3 Italia claimed 700,000 mobile TV users. The company carried on investing in the service, developing a content production house. On the 6^th of June 2008, 3 Italia offered the first mobile broadcast TV in Europe free of charge and ad-based. For 3 Italia, mobile TV has found its own path!