Local TV Is Ready to Go Mobile

Local TV stations that have been hemorrhaging ad dollars are banding together to pursue mobile television. A group of more than 800 local outlets is pushing for an open standard that would permit broadcasting to devices including cellphones and laptops, bypassing cellphone providers. The group projects that mobile advertising will be a $2 billion market, reports the AP.

The Open Mobile Video Coalition says the costs associated with the effort would be low. Some cellphone providers already offer mobile TV and might not want to allow competing services on their phones, but one mobile TV provider welcomes competition from the coalition. "We benefit when mobile TV succeeds," said a VP at MediaFlo, which offers subscription TV through Verizon. (More television stories.)