News
PSP stakes mobile TV claim
Stuart O'Brien Jan 3 2007, 10:00am
Mobile TV isn't just about phones - UK broadcaster Channel 4 has inked a deal with Sony to make its programming available for the PSP handheld via wireless hotspots.
The service - launched in partnership with hotspot provider The Cloud - kicks off today with 'podcast' radio programming offering updates on the new series of Celebrity Big Brother, but will eventually be extended to include full television broadcasts, according to an article in The Times this morning.
Though consumers have always been able to copy media files to their PSPs for viewing on the move - they can also redirect signals to the handheld from their home set-top box using Sony's LocationFree TV technology - this deal is the first time a broadcaster has created a content portal specifically for the device.
The unveiling comes a day after Channel 4 lifted the lid on its web-based on-demand TV service. Like most broadcasters, the company is busy exploiting alternative distribution platforms for its content (it is also providing Vodafone users with live footage from the Big Brother house).
Sony expects to have sold a million PSPs in the UK last year, with a total installed base slightly above that figure. With 3G mobile subscriptions coming in at about seven million in a market that has 67 million phones in total, devices like PSP and the video iPod may prove a viable 'mobile TV' device for many.
