Will viewers really want to watch television programs on 2.5-inch screens? The makers of cell phones hope so. So does Steve Jobs, whose Apple Computer Inc. recently released its first video iPod, with a screen of that size. But what they watch and how long they watch will be different, said speakers at the Hispanic Television Summit in Coral Gables, Fla., last week.
“The 2.5-inch market is a legitimate market. It’s not just desperate housewives watching Desperate Housewives.
You’ve got a real growing market looking for mobile entertainment and mobile information.
We’re seeing leading indicators being sports and news applications, but there are weaknesses. A lot of these platforms that are mobile are not 'of the moment.’
You want to see Hurricane Katrina, but not six hours after it hit. You want to see it when it’s going on. People will want real information, in real time.
People are saying it’s going to be a $3 billion [a year] market, so it’s a real significant opportunity.
Bryan McGuirk, senior vice president, domestic satellite services, SES Americom
“I think it’s a reflection of our society. A few years ago, when the boom was the Internet, we all compared the difference between interacting with the television and surfing on the Net. If you were surfing, you were working, but if you were watching television, you were laying back on the couch.
Now, we don’t want to go back to the office to read e-mails. You have the e-mail right in your hands.
You have the same situation. Right now, getting people to watch the iPod is just a marketing issue. … Verizon, for example, is going to do broadcasting to homes via fiber, but they’re also going to send programming to cell phones.’’
Javier Recio, senior director of sales, PanAmSat Latin America
