Advertisers are still holding back

 
Mobile TV The only alternative provider for mobile television has to change its corporate structure. 
Bruno Bucher, the inventor and spiritual father of Mobile TV Switzerland, recently presented his television channel, specially designed for cell phones, to media and advertising experts. The former Swisscom man is struggling under difficult conditions to turn his vision into reality. (Werbewoche reported on several occasions.) Specifically, Bucher complains about the lack of interactivity, which the new DVB-H broadcasting network set up by Swisscom Broadcast does not yet offer. In contrast to Swisscom's current linear distribution of 20 channels, Bucher wants to make television exclusively for mobile use. And here he would urgently need interactive options in order to gradually bind his audience to his program. This is also the core of MoTV's business model. We are talking about audience voting, shopping at the click of a button, downloading videos and many other possibilities that the technology would offer and with which MoTV could finance itself.
Because it is not clear when Swisscom will be able to realize the technical possibilities on the DVB-H network, Bucher and his team now have to switch to linear television.
This is where the problems begin. Because advertising is very cautious. "I have received consistently positive reactions," says Bucher. But the advertisers don't really want to invest (yet). The project is 20 percent financed so far, and an investor has agreed. Once an investor has jumped on board, it shouldn't take too much longer, Bucher estimates. Perhaps MoTV can start as early as the Olympics next August or then for the Christmas business, he calculates cautiously.
Entrepreneurial changeMobile TV Switzerland had to gear its new program to a new target group and is focusing on a predominantly urban audience, teenagers and young adults between 14 and 30. This also has consequences for the management of the company, for which the seniors are now only responsible strategically. "Operationally, young people will run MoTV," says Bucher. As far as the program content is concerned, Bucher says he is not yet able to say anything "definite".
After all, the mobile TV pioneer wants to make youthful television for adults. "We can't do anything else to be exciting and interesting for the advertising market," says Bucher, describing the "dull consequence" of the technological restrictions. When asked specifically, Bucher says that they have many ideas. One of them is a business format. "We think it's important that the young generation understands something about business and politics."
Only one end device availableA negative aspect of the current development, according to Bucher, is the fact that there is currently only one end device available, the Nokia N77, which can receive TV programs via DVB-H. Bucher fears that mobile television, like digital radio (DAB), could ultimately fail due to the lack of availability of end devices.
As already announced at the Swisscom media conference in mid-April, further devices will be available by the fall. Bucher actually favored the Nokia N96, "a miracle device" that would also appeal to the so-called early adopters, people who get to grips with new technologies early and in depth. "We could appeal to these people who communicate. The masses don't communicate," says Bucher. The example of Apple's iPhone shows that users communicate with each other and that the manufacturer can continuously improve its product. This is not the case under the current conditions.
DVB-H already seems to have failed in Germany. In any case, Fritz Jaussen, head of mobile operator Vodafone, believes DVB-H has little chance of survival in Germany.    
René Worni