[SatNews] More than 60 carriers, advertising agencies, broadcasters, handset manufacturers and application developers gathered at the CASBAA annual CXO Mobility Summit in Hong Kong on May 19th to measure the latest developments in mobile TV and a future roadmap in Asia. Sponsored by Synovate and supported by TV5MONDE, the invitation-only interactive roundtable drew together industry decision-makers for a 360-degree review of the mobile TV sector. Participating companies include Admob; Carat Media Services; Comcast International; CSL; Disney Media Distribution; Al Jazeera; Fox International Channels; iMusicTech; i-POP; Irdeto; ITSun; Locatrix; MotherApp; Outblaze; PCCW; PricewaterhouseCoopers; Research in Motion; Smartone-Vodafone; Sony Pictures Television; SPB Software; SpeedCast; TMSway; Turner International; TVB.com and ZenithOptimedia. Panels included a session with content owners, advertisers and handset manufacturers, discussing observations on what is needed to make mobile TV happen. But the room echoed with an old lament: As Christian Cadeo, Head of Brand Advertising, APAC, AdMob, put it, “consumers don’t want to pay for mobile content”.

Given the consumer mindset, Safdar Mustafa, Head of Mobile Media, Al Jazeera, suggested content owners couldn’t simply place their content on devices and passively wait for customers to find it. “There needs to be an integrated approach of online campaigns and social media, and targeting, so it’s easier for them to see you,” he said. Barnes Lam, Director, Asia Pacific Alliances, Research in Motion, suggested success in mobile TV ultimately depends on “working with everyone in the value chain and ensuring you’re positioned correctly”.



The CXO Mobility Summit also provided application developers with the opportunity to showcase their technologies. Applications are proven key drivers, whetting consumer appetites for ever more innovation. The typical shelf life for new applications varies from three weeks to three months. Summiteers also heard there is an urgent need for improved measurement tools to gather critical consumer data — a prerequisite for mobile becoming a serious contender for ad spend. That led to the old question of who in the end would cover the mobile TV tab — carriers still wondering if advertising could cover what consumers still seem unwilling to pay for.

“The objective of the CXO Mobility Summit is the exchange of views and insights on strategies, business models, opportunities and challenges, to build a broader industry in Asia – a really strong, connected and informed network,” said Ian Carroll, Chairman of CASBAA Mobility Committee; EVP & GM, Turner Broadcasting System. “From a broadcaster’s perspective, these things are re-shaping the entire ecosystem of the industry.”