BBC, ITV and E4 sign up for live mobile TV
The first live TV service for mobile phones is launched today.
It will allow programmes such as Coronation Street and EastEnders to be watched live on mobiles.
BBC1, ITV1 and E4 have all signed up to the VMTV service, being run by Virgin Mobile and BT Movio, which is supplying the technical infrastructure behind the service.
It will require customers to buy a new mobile phone with a built-in digital TV and radio tuner.
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Current TV services use mobile phone 3G networks to transmit pictures. But these have been criticised for providing poor quality pictures and for being unable to cope when dozens of users in an area try to access the service at the same time.
TV bosses say they hope that the availability of the major channels will make the service far more popular than it is currently. "For consumers this is akin to having a proper portable TV and digital radio in their pocket, and I think it will be very successful,î said Adam
Vaughan of gadget magazine Stuff. The deal is the first time that the major channels have signed up to a mobile phone broadcast service.
Customers will also be able to access more than 50 digital radio stations, an interactive TV guide, and interactive programmes.
"We're confident that the availability of strong, popular content from familiar channel brands will drive take-up among consumers,î said Jeff Henry, chief executive of ITV Consumer.
The new service will be offered to Virgin Mobile customers for £25 per month, including a free handset, or as a pay-as-you-go service for customers who buy the £199 mobile phone, called the Lobster TV, and pay a £5 monthly subscription fee.
"We're very excited about this,î said Alan Gow, managing director of Virgin Mobile.
The company has already lined up a major Hollywood star to front a multi-million-pound advertising campaign for the service, which the company hopes will be as popular as its recent campaign with Kate Moss.
The Virgin Mobile TV service will use digital radio technology to broadcast TV channels live to handsets. "Because we are using the digital radio system, we are able to offer clear pictures, and also broadcast simultaneously to everyone at once,î said Emma Lloyd of BT Movio.
"We have designed it to be incredibly simple, so we hope consumers will really be able to experience live TV for the fist time,î said Mr Gow.
