The football, however, is the ideal programming for such a technology.

Every header, tackle and save were crystal clear as I watched Roma claim its eight Coppa Italia championship against Inter Milan. (My only gripe was the game was played at a one-minute delay on my handset, a fact I only realised when my neighbours here in Rome hit the roof in celebration while Roma defenders on my two-inch screen were still playing keep-away from Inter attackers.)

The biggest concerns about mobile TV technology remain the quality, content and the coverage. In Italy, 3 Italia has improved the latter dramatically, now reaching 80 per cent of the Italian population. According to Screen Digest’s MacQueen, the quality issue will quickly be solved too. The pixelising screen, my biggest gripe (a mild one, I must admit) is easily solved in the filming of events. Tight close-ups or slow pans will do much to eliminate the pixel cloud bursts. And, more and more programming will be made available to mobile TV operators. In the UK, MacQueen expects Champions League matches will be carried by Virgin Mobile next season.

“These teething troubles – the rights issues, the quality issues and the programming – will all gradually be overcome,” he says. At the right price, consumers have shown there is strong enough interest in watching TV on a mobile handset, he adds.

Watching TV on a mobile handset is not an everyday activity. But at 3 euros, 3 Italia’s minimum charge for a single day’s broadcasts, I could catch five Sunday afternoon football matches. At that price, I’m game.

Back to page one.

Bernhard Warner is a technology reporter based in Rome. He is the former European Internet Correspondent for Reuters and, prior to that was a senior editor at The Industry Standard. His work has appeared in Wired, The Times Online, Time and The Guardian, to name a few. He also works as a Web 2.0 consultant for Custom Communication

published on 26 May 2007