A surprising statistic considering 99% of UK households now own at least one television set. This latest research emphasises just how much we still rely on the medium of television to keep us up to date with current affairs, major sporting events and breaking worldwide stories.
43% of men want to watch major sporting events on their mobile, while only 17% of women would use the service for this purpose. Half of 18-29 year olds surveyed would watch TV on public transport if they had the opportunity to do so. They even feel they are left out of conversations at work or socially if they miss certain TV shows. However, this could soon no longer be a worry to us…
Nokia has been working with O2 and Arqiva since September 2005 on the UK’s first full trial of multi-channel mobile TV. 16 channels are being offered to O2 customers including BBC 1, BBC 2, BBC News 24, ITV 1, ITV2, Channel 4 and 5 alongside programmes from CNN, Discovery Channel and MTV to name a few.
The service is based on the new DVB-H transmission technology (digital video broadcasting – handheld) and works by beaming a signal to a digital TV receiver, which is attached to Nokia’s 7710 or built into the N92 smartphone, transforming it into a portable TV.
O2 published their interim results at the end of January that stated 76% of triallists indicated they would take up the service within 12 months. The trial has also found that TV via mobile was accessed for an average of 23 minutes a session and three hours per week.
Mark Selby, Nokia’s Vice President of Rich Media and Music, said “In these fast moving times, it appears that many people now want access to their TV wherever they are. The findings of this survey support further research conducted in 2005 from commercial mobile TV pilots in Helsinki and more recently in Oxford. Most people watch while on public transport to relax or keep up with the latest news with most dipping into coverage for 20 minutes at a time."
Peter Bazalgette, UK chairman at Endemol, sees this as an exciting time for both the TV and the mobile industry, “This year is the first in a career of 27 years in television that I've been able to entertain people anywhere. A new era for those in the content business is starting."
Other findings include:
- Over a third (34%) of 18-29 year olds have been late for a social engagement because they were watching their favourite TV programme
- Half of all 18-29 year olds would watch TV on public transport if they had the opportunity to do so – 4% would even watch TV during intimate sexual activities!
- 31% of respondents see voting on the general election as an interactive benefit of having TV on your mobile phone
- Over half of those surveyed (56%) would watch breaking news as it happens on their mobile
- 43% of men want to watch major sporting events on their mobile, with only 17% of women would use the service for this purpose.
Nokia N92 - Flip and watch. Access live digital TV broadcast on the move. Watch real-time TV as easily as you do at home. In addition to getting the latest information, entertainment and events, you'll also be able to access the internet at broadband speeds, listen to the radio or MP3s and send and receive videos or photos in high resolution.Available Q2 2006. www.nokia.com
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