At the NAB show in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Qualcomm-subsidiary, FLO TV, announced that it is working to enhance its mobile TV service with new interactive applications that integrate video with Web-based content and social media tools (note: rival MobiTV also recently announced plans to add interactive TV to its service--see the article published on itvt.com, April 13th). The company says that the new capabilities are being developed in response to the ways in which consumers today are simultaneously viewing and interacting with content. "With consumers' mobile entertainment habits evolving rapidly, FLO TV will be integrating its current live linear video with relevant, on-demand content and interactive features that complement the programming viewers are watching in real time," FLO TV president, Bill Stone, said in a prepared statement. "Our innovative, nationwide multicast network is at the heart of this solution and will allow us to distribute live mobile TV and rich mobile media services to a range of new devices--from smartbooks to e-readers and tablets."
In addition to integrated experiences, FLO TV has announced an expanded suite of mobile TV services, which it says include interactive capabilities, pay-per-day and event passes, and time-shifted viewing options. According to the company--which says that the new features will be available on its service across a wide range of mobile devices in the second half of the year--its new service applications will include:
- Interactive features that will enable users to interact with programming and advertising, allowing them to, for example, click to access more information about a show or to buy an advertised product.
- Pay-per-day passes that will offer "pay-as-you-go flexibility," allowing users to access FLO TV without committing to a recurring monthly subscription.
- Event passes that will provide an easy way for existing FLO TV subscribers to add premium content, such as limited-engagement special events, to their programming line-up.
- Time-shifted viewing, or "catch-up TV," allowing popular shows to be stored on FLO-enabled mobile devices, so that they can be watched on-demand, even outside of a coverage area.
FLO TV claims that its national network can alleviate the cellular network congestion caused by the growing consumer demand for mobile media across a range of mobile devices. Its service is currently available on a range of platforms, including mobile handsets and its own recently launched portable digital TV, the FLO TV Personal Television. The company also offers an in-vehicle entertainment service, called FLO TV Auto Entertainment, in partnership with Audiovox.
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