Study predicts bleak prospects for mobile TV
A study by the British market research firm Canalys on the digital entertainment market does not foresee a breakthrough for mobile TV anytime soon. In the music and console markets, a more intense battle among the various market players is expected.
In a study on the future of the digital entertainment market, the British market researcher Canalys predicts a difficult future for mobile TV; it has little chance of a breakthrough in the near future. Many consumers already spend money on paid channels, so it is difficult to imagine that a broad mass of people will dig into their pockets for the limited time they spend watching content on their cell phones. However, price sensitivity varies considerably from country to country, study author Adrian Drozd told Pressetext.at. "While 35% of consumers in the UK think that EUR 15 per month would be a good price for mobile TV, only 15% of Germans and French agree. "The study "The evolving EMEA digital entertainment market" also discusses the future prospects of the music sector and the console market. In the music sector, the abandonment of digital rights management (DRM) is expected to trigger a new boom in legal downloads and put the current industry leader iTunes under pressure. In the devices sector, Apple's iPod will also come under increasing pressure from sophisticated cell phones, to which Apple has already responded with the launch of the iPhone.
Canalys experts are predicting a fierce battle for the throne in the console market. Now that Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have launched their new generation consoles on the European market, the battle for customers is reaching a new level. Microsoft is currently ahead with the Xbox 360, followed by Nintendo's Wii. Sony is still lagging behind due to high prices and a lack of hit games. Canalys expects the "console war" to reach its peak in 2009.
