While Europe has adopted a standard for mobile TV, this move actually makes it more difficult for operators to reap the benefits of this service sector, according to a new white paper from Parks Associates.
The research firm released No Way to Regulate: Mobile TV in Europe for its upcoming CONNECTIONS™ Europe Summit. This event will take place on August 28-29 at the Kempinski Hotel Bristol Berlin and features panels and interactive discussions on advanced entertainment platforms and emerging applications for entertainment, home networking, and communications.
This new white paper highlights the challenges European operators face as they develop and deploy mobile TV services. European regulators have adopted the DVB-H as a mobile TV standard for Europe, but the paper asserts that this approach means operators are limited in their spectrum options and often cannot leverage established network infrastructure.
This market situation threatens what is a significant service sector. Mobile TV users, while small in number, are an important consumer segment, according to Parks Associates. They are more likely to own and purchase a variety of consumer electronics, more likely to subscribe to pay TV services, and generally have a more favorable attitude toward technology. Service providers will be able to command a premium in advertising to this consumer segment.
GDL: Entertainment 2.0 in Europe, a new study by Parks Associates, will further explore consumer purchase habits and service preferences for a variety of entertainment products and services, from traditional TV to advanced online video. The study features consumer surveys and country profiles of the top European markets.
CONNECTIONS™ Europe Summit will include two panels, “The Evolution of Video Devices” and “New Connectivity Applications: Entertainment, Control, Home Networking, and Communications,” focused on the new opportunities and obstacles for companies in digital entertainment.
Prior to CONNECTIONS™ Europe Summit, the WirelessHD Consortium will host a pre-show workshop on August 28, followed by a reception for CONNECTIONS™ Europe attendees. The summit concludes on August 29 with a tour of the Fraunhofer Institute’s Exhibits at IFA 2008, hosted by Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institute.
