September 28, 2009
Mobile Video Gets a Spotlight from Rage and Valemont Premieres
It has been waiting in the wings for awhile now, but it looks like mobile video is ready to take center stage.
According to a new report from Nielsen, Americans are consuming more video content across screens than ever before. There was a 70% year-over-year increase in mobile viewing over the past year while traditional television viewing climbed by 0.9%. Simultaneous activity has a lot to do with this growth, underscoring that consumers are adding screen time, rather than simply replacing one screen with another.
While they are obviously worried, cable companies and networks are doing their best to stay relevant. Soon, Comcast and Time Warner's "TV Everywhere" service will give cable subscribers access “premium” television content via broadband, and later cellphone connections. Meanwhile, Hulu is streaming web content for free, though rumors of a "badass" iphone app have yet to pan out.
Content producers are more willing to adapt to consumer's demands, and we're seeing more content tailored for multiple platforms. Just this week, we are seeing two "firsts" in mobile content:
After the first several episodes air on MTV, the rest will be released online and on V Cast mobile phones. Users can access the show from Verizon V Cast mobile phones by texting VU to 66333 from a Verizon Wireless phone to get the latest dirt on the Valemont Campus. For those who don’t have a Verizon phone, the content will be made available by using a “digital cell phone” on Valemontu.com.
According to RWW, the film embraces the mobile platform as a way to tell the story, too. Instead of offering up a large video download, Rage was released in seven parts throughout the week through the streaming media application, Babelgum, which has now climbed to #16 on the list of top free Entertainment-based iPhone apps.
