MobiTV, Media Excel expand operations into Europe

By Giselle Abramovich

September 17, 2008

Cellivision

MobiTV Inc. has partnered with Media Excel to jointly offer video delivery capabilities to tier-one and tier-two service providers overseas.

Service providers will be able to leverage high capacity video services over mobile and broadband networks. MobiTV’s Optimized Delivery Server (ODS) for scalable high capacity video delivery, combined with Media Excel’s industry-leading video encoding and transcoding appliances, will provide an efficient, reliable and high quality IP video tool.

“MobiTV customers looking to MobiTV to provide broadcast quality, high availability IP video systems for new mobile and broadband video networks and we help by integrating our transcoding technologies, that will enable the rapid delivery of a complete IP Video service,” said Heath Payten, senior product marketing manager at Media Excel.

Media Excel is the next-generation transcoding company for MobileTV, WebTV, IPTV & Digital Media.

MobiTV is a market leader in broadband and mobile IP video delivery technology and managed services.

The partnership will enable service providers to offer premium video services to their subscribers over 3G, 4G and broadband networks.

MobiTV recently announced that the number of mobile subscribers’ worldwide that access television using its service has surpassed the 4 million mark.

Its growth in subscribers indicates a growing demand for rich media content on mobile phones (see story).

MobiTV offers more than 50 channels nationwide. The lineup includes live TV, premium and primetime programming, video on-demand and satellite and digital music services programming.

The channel lineups differ by wireless carrier partner.

The service is currently deployed over more than fifteen carrier networks, including Sprint, AT&T Wireless, Alltel, Telus, Rogers and Bell Mobility.

Media Excel provides next-generation hardware transcoding appliances that are used by large-scale video service providers such as MobiTV, as well as broadcasters and service operators.

“Mobile video via mobile and broadband networks is a great opportunity for carriers,” Mr. Peyton said. “We are helping the smaller carriers to be able to provide these services to their customers.”

According to research firm Strategy Analytics, the global mobile media market will double between 2008 and 2011, from $32 billion to more than $64 billion.

This growth will be largely due to the increase in global service provider video offerings.

Consumer spending on mobile data services will reach $200 billion by 2011 and video will be a major part of this growth.

The growing functionality and usability of handsets and networks is also feeding into major growth in the use of Web browsing from mobile phones and the outlook for Web 2.0 services is positive, according to Strategy analytics.

“One of keys of the announcement is that both countries are expanding their operations into Europe,” Mr. Peyton said.