SmartVideo Technologies last week announced a content deal with Two Minute Television, a production company, to offer a free, ad-supported mobile TV channel featuring shows like "Adventures in Speed Dating," Internet News writes. SmartVideo takes broadcast-quality video and adapts it for tiny screens. It plans to let users subscribe and will also offer the service to content creators and mobile network operators. The SmartVideo catalog includes ABC News, NBC Universal, Fox Sports and The Weather Channel programming. "But the prospect of a populace of walking couch potatoes is daunting. Will we be able to talk to each other at all?" the article asks.
"Mobile TV is part of the whole on-demand world we're moving toward, where I want my information anywhere, any time," says trend-spotter Michael Tchong. He says it fits into several current and emerging trends, including time compression, personalization and what he terms "control-freaking." Tchong also sees a big future for mobile video advertising. "There's a lot of upside potential for on-demand infomercials…the information or advertising provider will pay the carrier fee. The subscriber will get the equivalent of a toll-free number to call."
