While providers still find mobile TV profits elusive, subscribers are signing on at a healthy rate, topping 10 million worldwide in 2007, reports telecom research firm Infonetics in its “Mobile Video Phones, Services and Subscribers” report.
Infonetics expects subscriptions to almost triple by the end of this year and sales of mobile videophone sales to quadruple between 2007 and 2011.
The report forecasts worldwide and regional market size and revenue for mobile video service revenue, mobile video subscribers (3G/MBMS, DVB-H, FLO, ISDB-T, S/T-DMB and DAB) and mobile video phones (3G/MBMS, DVB-H, FLO, ISDB-T, S/T-DMB, DAB, CMMB).
Advertising will play a significant role in making mobile video services profitable, both in the short- and long-term future, according to report author Jeff Heynen. Throughout 2008, mobile operators will be working with advertisers and media buying agencies to sell their mobile video local ad spots, and mobile advertising will become more prevalent by mid-2009.
Among other points, the report predicts that as more mobile devices emulate the iPhone "look and feel," subscribers will be more likely to become ongoing subscribers to mobile video services.
Infonetics also predicts that partnerships and acquisitions among video processing and headend equipment vendors like Motorola, Envivio and Harmonic will accelerate as the mobile video market takes shape around the world.
For more information, visit www.infonetics.com/pr/2008/ms08.mtv.2h07.nr.asp.
