More And More Money Going Into Mobile TV
It's still amazing how much money is going into mobile TV, when it's still an unproven market as far as being able to make any money. Beyond the ridiculous sums being invested in new technologies to allow mobile broadcast-only video networks, now comes the news that MobiTV has raised another $70 million. MobiTV is clearly the leader in the space, and they've done a great job partnering on both sides of the fence -- getting both content providers and mobile operators on board. However, it's still questionable just how large a market there is for mobile TV -- and whether it's a market that anyone will really pay for long term. It still seems like the biggest threat to these types of services are the new "place shifting" services, like those from Sling Media and Orb. Both allow you to take the TV you have at home and view it on a mobile device -- usually for free. People hate paying for the same content multiple times, so if they can just use their existing cable/satellite TV subscription for their mobile phones as well, then why will they bother paying separately for mobile TV?
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