Mobile TV benefits from the Swiss national team

In the run-up to the World Cup, Swisscom aggressively advertised its mobile TV offer. However, studies show that television on cell phones is not particularly popular with many consumers. Werbewoche asked Carsten Roetz, Head of PR at Swisscom Mobile. "We have 85,000 customers with UMTS-capable cell phones. Around a third of them regularly use mobile TV," explained Roetz. 1,000 people watched the France-Switzerland match and around 10,000 customers tuned in during the course of the match day. "Several tens of thousands" of customers have subscribed to the specific World Cup service; the telecommunications company does not want to disclose more precise figures. "The use of mobile TV is higher than usual," said Roetz. He assumes that the continuation of interest will also depend to a large extent on how the Swiss national team performs in Germany. Roetz believes that it will be some time before mobile TV definitely catches on: "Mobile TV is not an obvious need for people and a great deal of advertising effort is required to make it known." Swisscom relies on the strategy of always offering corresponding services in conjunction with attractive devices. The World Cup campaign seems to have had a positive effect, with sales figures for UMTS-enabled devices rising, according to Roetz. Once the major event is over, he sees further opportunities for use, particularly in the area of current affairs. "We will expand the news offer on demand," says Roetz. There are currently no plans to include advertising blocks, as the Head of PR explained: "In the current business model, where customers subscribe to specific content, we don't see much room for advertising." This would potentially annoy users and run counter to the concept of being able to find information quickly on the go. "If a new business model develops, there may also be new advertising opportunities," said Roetz. In addition to specific services, customers also have access to the live offerings of over 20 broadcasters. The advertising blocks in their programs naturally also flicker across cell phone screens.
Carole Scheidegger