MANILA—For less than the monthly subscription fee of a cable TV connection, viewers can now watch digital TV anytime and anywhere on compatible mobile phones.
Smart Telecommunications Inc. and 360media launched last Tuesday myTV, a mobile broadcast television service that allows people to view high-quality TV broadcasts on their phones.
Unlike the current prevalent video streaming and downloading service, myTV does not use the cellular network to transmit the images. It is broadcast similar to how regular TV receives signals via an antennae.
MyTV uses the Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld or DVB-H platform for broadcasting.
For P488 a month, Smart subscribers can view CNN, MTV Philippines, Cartoon Network, National Geographic, Pinoy Box Office, History Channel, Solar Sports, Basketball TV, ETC and Jack TV. The service will also broadcast PBA games starting with its upcoming season.
Milestone
“This is an important milestone. TV has been a sedentary experience tied down to homes, hotels, offices...myTV unchains Philippine TV and sets it free,” Smart president and chief executive officer Napoleon Nazareno said during the launch.
Nazareno said the service is “a powerful demonstration of how media and telecoms can deliver new content to the public.”
Orlando Vea, president and chief executive officer of 360media, said the service will bring “disruptive change” to Philippine TV. But, he said, conventional TV “will still be a fixture” and that the service will “stretch viewing time even more.”
Raymund Miranda, 360media managing director for mobile TV, said the current offering is still the first phase and that more channels will be added later.
Danilo Mojica, head of Smart’s wireless consumer division, said the service will spur people to upgrade their handsets. He said Smart’s wireless consumer division has aggressive “subscriber acquisition” target, projecting 60,000 to 70,000 users in the coming months.
Video streaming
Mobile phone service officials said the Smart video streaming service will continue in parallel with myTV.
Vea said phone users can watch shows on myTV but “if you missed shows, you can go to streaming 3G service.” The two services, he added, are “very complementary.”
While myTV is touted as a personal TV experience, studies during their trials showed that 46 percent watched myTV “in a shared environment,” said Miranda.
Miranda said that with the service, “there is no more prime time” because people can now watch shows whenever they want to.
MyTV will initially be available in Mega Manila, Metro Cebu, Davao, Ta-gaytay, Batangas, and Baguio City. Smart said that Boracay and Cagayan de Oro will soon be covered.
The service will be free until Aug. 31 to give subscribers a chance to try it out. MyTV can be accessed using compatible handsets such as the Nokia N92 and the coming N77.
The service package is available to both post-paid and pre-paid Smart subscribers. Pre-paid subscribers need to maintain a P1 airtime load and P488 for the monthly subscription to avail themselves of the package. (MTL)
