The World Cup could spur a surge in demand for mobile television, a London research group said Thursday.
According to Ovum, advancements in digital entertainment and mobile technology will make it easier for those to keep track of the games in Germany live and on the go. Moreover, electronics companies are likely to push consumers to buy mobile TVs to be able to follow their teams live wherever they are, the information-technology research group argued.
"Using the FIFA World Cup as a hook for mobile TV services makes sense. It's a hugely popular event around the world that has the potential to engage a mass market," said Eden Zoller, principal analyst at Ovum.
She cautioned, however, that "people will approach it with high expectations and a great deal of passion so operators must get it right. This is critical for new DVB-H broadcast networks but also for 3G, which will have to cope with massive peaks. A poor service experience for such an event will tarnish people's impression of mobile TV."
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
