Belkin, one of the leading producers of accessories for smart phone and tablet devices, is teaming up with Mobile Content Venture (MCV) to extend the Dyle Mobile TV service, allowing 120 million devices in the market to receive Mobile TV signals. Up until now, there was no unifying umbrella for identifying if a mobile product is capable of receiving OTA broadcasts from local affiliates. MCV was formed last year to address these needs.
The organization is made up of 15 broadcast groups (including Cox, Gannett and Hearst) with the goal of spreading awareness of local TV for mobile and to allow consumers to identify products that are set to receive a local broadcast signal. The mission is to allow consumers to see the Dyle branding and be confident that the device is compatible and can indeed receive broadcast TV signals. Part of the challenge has been getting support from smart phone manufacturers, but now with leading company Belkin in their corner, MCV can bring branding to multiple millions of cell-phone accessories.
MCV is already covering a large amount of the U.S. population, about 50 percent, spanning 72 stations in 32 markets. With the signals being available via Belkin devices, this is the biggest jump yet towards Dyle acceptance. While live mobile TV has surged around the world, acceptance in the U.S. has been on a steadier path. Mainly this is due to renting and downloading of TV and movies on-demand, as opposed to a live signal. But as the quest for more content grows, live TV from local affiliates could be the next big wave in mobile TV options. Belkin intends to hit the ground running, and has announced that it plans a Dyle-branded product for mobile television to be available for portable devices in the first quarter of 2012.
