Digi Launches Mobile TV In Malaysia

DiGi Telecommunications is making the mobile TV experience more accessible and affordable with the introduction of DiGiChannels.

Launched by His Majesty Sri Paduka Baginda Yang di Pertuan Agong XII, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Ibni al-Marhum Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail at the Asean Communications Expo, the service will be commercially available from 15th September 2006.

DiGiChannels, which is DiGi's updated MobileTV service, offers seven channels of "live" video streaming content of the latest entertainment news and programmes and information updates at the very affordable price of just RM 14.90 (US$4) per month, data charges included, for all seven channels.

DiGiChannels also features a host of Video On Demand (VOD) content, which are pre-recorded 1 minute clips of news and entertainment updates starting at RM4 (US$1).

Accessed via DiGi's WAP portal, customers will be able to view programmes in Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mandarin from seven exciting new channels: DiGi Sports, DiGi News, DiGi Toons, DiGi Music, SCTV, Jia Yu and Fashion TV.

The user-friendly interface makes it simple for customers to select and access any of the seven channels they choose. For added flexibility, customers are able to select between "live" content or pre-recorded VOD content.

Chee Pok Jin, DiGi's Chief Marketing Officer said DiGiChannels is DiGi's way of enhancing mobile lifestyle by offering a service that has compelling content, easy access and at an affordable price.

"We talk so much about a mobile lifestyle, but in truth, very few people are able to afford this as the latest technologies always come with a premium price. We wanted to address this."

"When we conceptualised DiGiChannels, we looked at ways to improve our present MobileTV offering. DiGiChannels offers a variety of compelling international and local content, refreshed at least three times a day. The content will also be reviewed regularly based on customer choice and feedback."

"Accessing DiGiChannels does not require the latest mobile phone as any GPRS or EDGE-enabled mobile phone that has streaming capabilities is sufficient. Customers will also have the flexibility of choosing any number of channels, from one, three, five or the full package of seven channels, from as low as RM6," Chee said.

For VOD content, there is also a weekly subscription option available where customers can view the content for an unlimited number of times within the week. Alternatively if the customer only desires to view specific content on a one time basis, a pay-per-view option is available.

In addition to bringing high-quality content to mobile phones for the consumer, DiGiChannels is also a platform for local content developers to showcase and distribute their work.

"We are proud to support the Government's efforts to develop and sustain the local content development industry. In fact, one of our seven channels, DiGi Toons, will showcase works by local animators such as Kiddo and Big Shot. Of course, we are exploring other opportunities to bring more local content into DiGiChannels," said Chee.

To subscribe to DiGiChannels, DiGi customers may opt to use DiGi's Online Customer Service, DiGi's WAP Portal or via an SMS interface.

Instrumental to the development of DiGiChannels is DiGi's partnership with Qtelmedia. Qtelmedia's proprietary technology and production process allows live television content to be ingested in real-time and then immediately re-distributed via DiGiChannels. This process gives DiGi customers the ability to view live streaming video content on their GPRS and EDGE devices.