Mobile TV enters the race with foreign partners
On Thursday, Mobile TV Switzerland announced its plans for mobile TV. Provided the company receives the necessary license, it plans to offer 26 channels from May of next year. According to initiator Bruno Bucher, 16 of these are already occupied by the most popular TV stations in Switzerland. Traditional spot advertising will be possible on the service, but there are no plans to aggressively acquire advertising customers right from the start.
On Thursday, Mobile TV Switzerland announced its plans for mobile TV. Like Swisscom, the company has applied to the Federal Communications Commission (ComCom) for a license for mobile TV. Bruno Bucher, the initiator of the start-up company, has been able to win over two foreign partners for his project: "T-Systems Media & Broadcast is our technical partner and South Korean Telecom is supporting us primarily in terms of consulting," he told Werbewoche. If Mobile TV Switzerland is awarded the contract by ComCom, the company plans to offer 26 channels from May next year. Of these, 16 are already occupied by the most popular TV stations in Switzerland, while the remaining ten are available, Bucher continued: "We don't just want to offer mobile TV. For example, the company is planning music channels, radio stations and cooperations with various local media for news reporting. The service should be interactive wherever possible. "Anyone who hears a nice song should be able to download it directly from one of our partners with just a few clicks," says Bucher.
Traditional spot advertising will be possible on Mobile TV Switzerland, but there are no plans to aggressively acquire advertising customers right from the start. "For advertising, we first have to build up reach," explained Bucher. Financing will primarily come from subscriptions, download fees, mobile shopping and sponsoring; only then will advertising come, according to Bucher's plans. However, he went on to explain that advertisers who want to be involved have already contacted him.
Bucher does not yet want to say anything about how many customers are to be reached in the first year and what the subscription price will be. Such estimates would be up to the mobile operators who will offer mobile TV.
In the event that the ComCom license does go to competitor Swisscom, Mobile TV Switzerland will set up MoTV, a made-for-mobile channel. The plan is to develop the content already planned for mobile TV and sell it to the mobile providers.
However, Bucher is very confident that he will receive the license: "We are now globally positioned and have strong partners behind us. We can learn from the experiences of others abroad." And although some people wonder why they should watch a football match on a cell phone screen, Bucher is convinced that the service will catch on: "People are watching less television because they don't want to sit on the sofa at home. Mobile television for mobile people is in demand". ComCom's decision is expected at the end of September.
Carole Scheidegger
Traditional spot advertising will be possible on Mobile TV Switzerland, but there are no plans to aggressively acquire advertising customers right from the start. "For advertising, we first have to build up reach," explained Bucher. Financing will primarily come from subscriptions, download fees, mobile shopping and sponsoring; only then will advertising come, according to Bucher's plans. However, he went on to explain that advertisers who want to be involved have already contacted him.
Bucher does not yet want to say anything about how many customers are to be reached in the first year and what the subscription price will be. Such estimates would be up to the mobile operators who will offer mobile TV.
In the event that the ComCom license does go to competitor Swisscom, Mobile TV Switzerland will set up MoTV, a made-for-mobile channel. The plan is to develop the content already planned for mobile TV and sell it to the mobile providers.
However, Bucher is very confident that he will receive the license: "We are now globally positioned and have strong partners behind us. We can learn from the experiences of others abroad." And although some people wonder why they should watch a football match on a cell phone screen, Bucher is convinced that the service will catch on: "People are watching less television because they don't want to sit on the sofa at home. Mobile television for mobile people is in demand". ComCom's decision is expected at the end of September.
Carole Scheidegger
