Mobile TV Coming To A Screen Near You?

Yesterday Telia, launched two channels in their 3G network - Star and Voice. Another 3G operator, 3 have been streaming video to their mobile phone users for quite some time. 3 have been focusing on music services, like On Air and MTV.

These are the first streaming video channels of many to come to our mobile phones. In fact, we all will probably have mobile TV in a few years. Most mobile phone users switch mobile phone more often than TV or computer. For this reason, the first digital-TV receiver in many homes is likely to be a handheld.

Mobile TV is said to have higher quality than the streaming video used today. Nokia and Samsung have both presented mobile phones capable of receiving TV signals broadcasted to all mobile phone users at the same time.

These handhelds is said to hit the market before the end of this year and the research group Informa expects handset makers to sell 130,000 TV phones this year, rising to 83.5 million by 2010

That is big numbers in a short period of time. Compared to the Apple Ipod sales over the last few years, it's huge. And we all know what kind of money and spin-off companies that Ipod generated.

I'm not capable of judging the Informa estimate, but I believe Mobile TV will be a hit. According to The Korea Times Nokia claims that 4 out of 5 Germans wants to receive Mobile TV on their handheld. Not surprisingly, Deutsche Telecom has made a deal with Samsung for the delivery of Mobile TV handhelds.

Mobile TV will become interesting from a marketing perspective. Mobile TV combined with geo-targeting is local TV-advertising on the go. TV direct marketing to a known user at a known location.

"Today H&M Stockholm is starting up the wicked winter sale!"

Wham bam - from the screen into the store in less then 3 min walk!