SEATTLE, WA and MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- (Marketwire) -- 01/03/13 -- The Mobile500 Alliance with Fisher Communications (NASDAQ: FSCI) and Hubbard Broadcasting announce the soft consumer launch of its mobile digital television service, called MyDTV, in the Seattle and Minneapolis markets.
The launch group is distributing 750 receivers in each market for use with iPhones and iPads. Once the receiver is attached and the consumer downloads the free MyDTV application, the device is fully enabled. Upon initial launch of the app there is a short one time only registration. The purpose of the registration is to qualify the device owner so that audience measurement data will be delivered in the same fashion as is currently reported for television. The Mobile500 Alliance is working with both Nielsen and Rentrak to evaluate the launch data.
The MyDTV app features several enhancements which will improve the viewing experience: closed captioning, an electronic program guide, built in social media to enhance engagement and sharing as well as an optional live record feature. The live record feature is one that consumers have said is a necessary feature to complement on-the-go viewing.
In conjunction with Accelerated Media, a leader in advanced advertising and interactive TV solutions for major brands and agencies, several advertisers have agreed to run advertising campaigns during the soft consumer launch in Seattle and Minneapolis. The advertising is served two ways: between channel changes and with banner ads. The Lincoln Motor Company and Chrysler/Jeep will be the first groundbreaking advertisers to reach consumers through mobile digital television.
The ability to effectively send the broadcast signal simultaneously to multiple viewers without using the often-taxed cellular bandwidth is a good value for consumers. The current delivery of streaming video to cell phones over cellular networks is not free to the end user, and it does not take long to exhaust data plan allowances. Cellular bandwidth limitations also often inhibit the ability for large groups to simultaneously stream. With this solution, for example, while attending a live event, multiple viewers will be able to watch the event live and on television concurrently. Broadcasters have the most efficient standard to deliver video to many people at the same time, "one to many." This leaves the cellular bandwidth open for talking, data, texting, and searching.
The Mobile500 Alliance will be conducting a live demo of its MyDTV application at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada in booth 14340 in the Mobile TV TechZone in the Central Hall. The demonstration will include the enhanced features and new devices.
The Alliance is made up of over 400 television stations from around the nation, all with the common goal of bringing broadcast television to consumers on their mobile devices.
To develop this product, the Alliance worked with Elgato, Expway, and Broadcast Interactive Media. The MyDTV application brings an innovative and unique television experience to consumers.
About The Mobile500 Alliance
The Mobile500 Alliance is a voluntary alliance of leading television broadcasters that seeks to develop strong partnerships within the industry and with leading members of other industries to accelerate the nationwide availability of a commercial mobile digital television service for consumers. The Mobile500 Alliance is composed of 50 individual broadcast companies that own and operate over 400 commercial television stations in diverse markets across the country. For more information, please visit http://www.Mobile500Alliance.com.
About Fisher Communications, Inc.
Fisher Communications, Inc. is a Seattle-based communications company that owns and operates 13 full power television stations, seven low power television stations, three owned radio stations, and one managed radio station in the Western United States. The Company also owns and operates Fisher Interactive Network, its online division (including over 120 online sites) and Fisher Pathways, a satellite and fiber transmission provider. For more information about Fisher Communications, Inc., go to www.fsci.com.
About Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc.
Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc owns and operates television broadcast properties in Minnesota including KSTP-TV, KSTC-TV, KSAX-TV, KRWF-TV, WDIO-TV, WIRT-TV and KAAL-TV. Minneapolis/St. Paul HBI radio stations include ESPN 1500 Twin Cities, KS95-FM, myTalk 107.1, and the Hubbard Radio Network. HBI also owns two television stations in New York, three television stations in New Mexico, and 17 radio stations in Washington D.C., Chicago, Cincinnati, and St. Louis. Hubbard Media Group, a division of HBI, owns and operates REELZCHANNEL, the national cable and satellite network that is all about movies. F&F Productions is one of the oldest privately held mobile production facilities providers in the United States and is a subsidiary of HBI.
Contact:
Mobile500 Alliance
Zach Bloom
Email Contact
206.404.4201
Fisher Communications
Randa Minkarah
Email Contact
206.404.4138
Hubbard Broadcasting
Paul Gaulke
Email Contact
651.642.4379
