Fox, Ion Media Testing Digital Mobile Video in Chicago

Now that television stations are transmitting in digital ahead of the switchover from analog in February, broadcasters are hoping to use their spectrum for new businesses. As TV Week reports, Fox and Ion Media Networks stations are testing a new mobile video signal in Chicago—one that would go up against streamed services such as Sprint TV, MobiTV, and Verizon V CAST Video.

The demonstration in Chicago is “one more step toward establishing a standard for mobile television and putting the devices into consumers’ hands,” said Anne Schelle, executive director of the Open Mobile Video Coalition, in the article.

One key finding: Schelle added that while it once was thought mobile video consumers would want short clips created specifically for small-screen hand-held devices, “research has shown that when they’re on the go, they want to watch the same things they like to watch in their living room.”

Join Baratunde Thurston (left), The Onion’s Director of Digital and author of How to Be Black, for an entertaining look at creative social media campaigns in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. Other speakers include Morin Oluwole (Facebook), Tim Devane (bitly), and SocialTimes' writer Devon Glenn.   Register now.