BBC, Sky dominate mobile TV screen

Broadcasting giants, BBC and Sky, dominate the smallest TV screen in the UK, according to a study released Wednesday by research house Telephia.

The first wave of findings show that an estimated 33 per cent of all mobile TV and video viewers in the UK watched BBC 1, while 29 per cent watched Sky Sports.

“The big broadcasting brands in the UK have extended their footprint to reach the mobile population, and the strategy is clearly working,” said Reza Chady, European managing director at Telephia. “Consumers are tapping into three screen television, PC and mobile phone for their news and entertainment. Broadcasters must develop an integrated strategy across the three screens to reach, maintain and expand their audience.”

However, Telephia also reports that only an estimated 3 per cent of UK mobile subscribers watch mobile TV or video content, with 70 per cent of the audience being male.

At present, top choice BBC 1 is only available on Virgin Mobile, which is offering BT Movio’s DAB-IP-based mobile TV service. Sky Sports is available via 3G streaming on Orange and Vodafone, while T-Mobile and O2 do not yet offer commercial mobile TV services.

3 UK does have a mobile TV offering, but it does not show Sky Sports or BBC 1. It is common knowledge however that all of the UK’s mobile operators are closely following mobile TV developments and are monitoring all potential broadcast technologies such as DAB and DVB-H as well as streaming platforms like 3G and TDtv.