Indian mobile TV market to reach $360 million in 2008

India’s mobile television market will be worth $360 million by the end of this year, according to a report by Springboard Research, a leading Singapore-based IT market research firm.

Mobile TV is a feature through which a user is able to view regular TV programmes on a mobile phone or other mobile devices.

According to the findings of the report - Mobile TV in India: Understanding the Mobile Entertainment Needs of Indian Users - as many as 84 percent of the users are waiting for an affordable mobile TV service in the country.

“Mobile TV marries the two dominant consumption trends of entertainment and mobile telephony in India. The market is ripe for the launch of mobile TV services and we believe that India will have around 12 million mobile TV subscribers within the first year of launch of service,” said Ravi Shekhar Pandey, manager of syndicated research at Springboard Research.

News, sports, music videos and game shows emerged the preferred choices for mobile TV services, the survey indicated.

“A majority of mobile users in India are interested in trying out mobile TV and would invest in new handsets for using the service. This willingness is definitely a positive sign for those considering offering mobile TV in one of the world’s largest and fastest growing mobile services market,” Pandey said.

The report also recommended offering on-demand, pay-per-view option that will not be attached to a monthly subscription offer.

It has also suggested a closer business partnership between mobile TV broadcasters and service providers to make the feature more affordable.