It’s an interesting time for mobile video right now. Even though revenues only amounted to $62 million in 2005, JupiterResearch sees that number rising to $500 million by 2010 - see Tekrati. The US has had a slow adoption growth compared to the UK, South Korea, and Japan in this emerging market. Japan appears to be leading the pack with a new service that broadcasts digital TV to mobile phones.
Apple has pushed into the video market from another direction with a new area on iTunes called “Video Podcasts” for viewing on mp3 players. There are over 100 vcasts available to date and it’s a good mix of comedy, news, sports, and technology among others but no business category yet. A closer look at the video content revealed some interesting clips, like Photoshop TV, that are very clever marketing vehicles. Photoshop TV is sponsored by a number of advertisers and hosted by members of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. It's an interesting combination of business partners that seems to work. Expect to see more collaboration like this among mobile companies.
The one to watch is Verisign right now. The company has been on a shopping spree and recently bought m-Qube for $250 million in cash. As ClickZ reports, Verisign could emerge as a top leader in the space since it also owns mobile content companies Jamster and 3united Mobile Solutions. The race is on...
Good reading:
· "Consumers and Convergence" by KPMG
· “Now Playing on your Cell Phone” by BusinessWeek
· Mobile Marketing Association for industry news and updates
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