Market analyst Datamonitor is predicting that the number of mobile broadcast TV subscribers will grow from 4.4 million in 2007 to an estimated 155.6 million by year-end 2012.
The prediction comes in its report "Opportunities in the mobile broadcast TV market, 2006 – 2012," along with the caveat that considerable hurdles remain to be overcome for the medium. The company said its research, a compilation of industry opinion, market data, secondary research and forecast model, was gathered in Q1 of this year.
According to the report, there currently are about 4.4 million mobile broadcast TV subscribers in a handful of countries around the world.
"This subscriber base will grow to 65.6 million in 2010 and more than double to an estimated 155.6 million by 2012; a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 66.2 percent," stated Chris Khouri, associate media and broadcasting analyst with Datamonitor and author of the study in a press release announcing the results.
"However, consumer education, technological fragmentation and content adaptation will have to be addressed first before mass-adoption can take place," Khouri said.
Datamonitor expects the Asia-Pacific region to have 76.3 million subscribers by 2012. Europe will have the second largest subscriber base with an estimated 42.7 million subscribers by 2012 with a CAGR of 102 percent from 2006. This high growth rate is directly attributable to the predicted pan-European push for mobile broadcast TV between 2009 and 2012. North America, dominated by the United States, is expected to have a subscriber base of 35.6 million.
Among the hurdles Datamonitor identifies as yet to be surmounted are pricing models, advertising models, consumer education, and a fragmentation of technology and standards. However, the researchers believe innovative marketing campaigns; viral marketing and travelling exhibitions, are cited as examples — will aide in the mass-adoption of mobile broadcast TV services.
(TV Technology International)
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