It's Official: Verizon Wireless Launches VCast Mobile TV Service

(c) MocoNews

Verizon's VCast Mobile TV is live in 20 select markets. Wireless Week has a detailed recap of the events leading up to the launch, including the programming content, pricing and the partnership with MediaFLO. Verizon is the first U.S. operator to launch mobile TV using MediaFLO's network. Verizon Wireless has launched its mobile broadcast TV solution using Qualcomm's MediaFLO service. As expected, Verizon is charging $15 a month for the service, and customers can get both the TV service and the Vcast service for $25 per month. Verizon will offer eight channels at launch--and RCR News notes there will be a limited plan of four channels for $13 a month, which doesn't seem like much of a discount over the full price. The service will also have parental controls using the normal TV rating system. Verizon doesn't plan any fanfare for the launch apparently, preferring to let customers discover it on their own.

--RCR News has a map of the markets where it is on offer: Chicago, Ill.; Denver and Colorado Springs, Col.; New Orleans, La.; Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.; Seattle-Tacoma and Spokane, Wash.; Tucson, Ariz.; Albuquerque and Santa Fe, N.M.; Omaha-Lincoln, Neb.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Norfolk-Richmond, Va.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Palm Springs, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; Wichita, Kan.; Las Vegas, Nev.; and Kansas City and St. Louis, Mo.

--Wireless Week has a list of the content providers: CBS, Comedy Central, ESPN, Fox, MTV, NBC News, NBC Entertainment, and Nickelodeon. "Programming content will differ based on the broadcaster and channel. Specifically, MTV is offering live simulcast programming that mirrors its regular TV channel. ESPN is broadcasting live college football and basketball games. And just in time for March Madness, Fox and CBS both plan to offer NCAA games. Besides sports, news and popular TV shows, Fox also is offering its most popular programs such as 24 and Prison Break time-shifted from their regular TV timeslots. Besides its own March Madness games, the CBS channel also is showing soap operas, which it will time-shift so viewers may catch up with their favorite serials outside the 9-to-5 timeframe. The NBC channel is simulcasting The Late Show with Jay Leno, Heroes and Friday Night Lights. MediaFLO has the capacity to increase the channel line-up to 20. Canadian Press has the titles of the channels: "CBS Mobile, Comedy Central, ESPN, Fox Mobile, MTV, NBC 2Go, NBC News 2Go and Nickelodeon".

--Reuters writes that the first MediaFLO handset will be the Samsung U620, and "is being sold for $199, or $149.99 for customers who sign a two-year contract". RCR says the handset is being sold on the carriers website for $150 after a $50 online discount. Both sites note that a second phone from LG Electronics will be available in the coming weeks. It's not really surprising that the handsets are coming from South Korean vendors rather than bigger competitors like Nokia or Motorola.

--Reuters quotes Ovum analyst Roger Entner as saying that mobile video services have only attracted 7 million customers in the US (out of 232 million subscriptions) since being launched in 2004. "I think the impact in the beginning will be modest" since Verizon is rolling out the service gradually, said Entner. But he estimated that MediaFlo users could increase to 20 million to 30 million people within about 7 years."

--BusinessWeek has a general article on the competition in the mobile TV market, noting that AT&T plans to charge $15-20 a month for its upcoming service, and "analysts say that's higher than the mass market will bear". The article also cites Frost & Sullivan stating that, as mobile TV becomes standard on handsets, mobile TV profits should reach $1.5 billion annually by 2009.

Technorati tags: mobile TV, MediaFLO