A mobisode (mobile + episode) is a short film clip – usually between 30 seconds and five minutes long – made specifically for mobile consumption. It can be broadcast, streamed or made available for download and playback over 3G or digital broadcasting. It differs from normal TV episodes in that it is filmed and edited to suit the mobile device. The most popular mobisodes are soap operas.
Media companies are bombarding the market with new content for mobile TV. Specific mobile-friendly clips are being produced to complement traditional linear TV channels. The production of material aimed at the mobile phone means more niche content can find its way to the end user. The revenue opportunities from new types of content are much greater than those from simply re-transmitting traditional free-to-air broadcasts.
This mobile-focused production is picking up in many Asian countries, as well as in Europe and the US. Content is produced by international media companies in the US, India, Japan, and so on, both by companies specializing in mobile content and major studios such as 20th Century Fox.
Although it is hard to get statistics on current mobisode production and consumption, digital media company Proactive Media forecasts that the mobisode market will grow from just about nothing in 2004 to USD 5.4 billion in 2009. And analyst firm Gartner says that at least 10 percent of global mobile phone users will subscribe to TV services by 2009. More than 2 million (1.4 percent) of wireless users in the US subscribed to a mobile video plan in the first quarter of 2006, telecom metrics company Telephia reports, and when more 3G phones are sold and the networks improve, the potential could be enormous.
Mobisodes, offered by operators such as SK Telekom, are increasing in popularity in South Korea, where the services, broadcast over DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) and satellite, are hosted by the media company. Mobisodes in the US and Europe are currently provided over 3G networks. Other operators offering mobisodes include Vodafone and Bharti Telecom, but many others are doing trials with media companies.
The mobisode concept represents a completely new business model, which will greatly affect the industry. Instead of trying to adapt traditional TV content to the mobile, developers are creating special content for mobiles – content that can later be transmitted as "normal" TV, should the take-up of the mobile service be a success.
This trend will also establish new rules for the advertising industry, which will be able to direct content to the right consumers more intelligently.
The price model for mobisodes requires the charging to be done by the operator. The end user pays per episode, per series or for a subscription to a number of channels, which is added to their monthly bill. Operators normally buy the rights to the content from the content provider.Business models used by operators and media companies will naturally differ between markets. www.ericsson.com
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