Vodafone launches mobile TV with Sky
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Vodafone is joining forces with BSkyB to launch a mobile television service. The streamed 3G service, called Sky Mobile TV, offers 19 mobile channels including Sky News, Sky Sports News, MTV, Cartoon Network, Discovery, Sky One and Living tv.
Launching tomorrow, the service will be available exclusively to Vodafone live! 3G customers until the end of March 2006. Some channels will be broadcast 'as live' while others will be dedicated 'made for mobile' channels, featuring regularly updated blocks of programming.
As a bonus, Sky is giving all Vodafone live! with 3G customers the chance to watch Sky Sports' exclusively live coverage of the England cricket team's tour to Pakistan.
Until the end of January next year each Sky Mobile TV pack will be provided free of charge. From February 2006 customers will be charged £5 per month for each of the Sky Mobile TV packs to which they subscribe. The two Sky Mobile TV packs are:
- News, Sport & Factual: Sky News; CNN; Bloomberg; Sky Sports News; At The Races; Discovery Factual; National Geographic Channel; History Channel.
- Entertainment & Music: Sky One; Sky Movies; MTV (starting with one channel, with another MTV channel and Paramount Comedy joining the line-up later in the year); Living tv; Discovery Lifestyle; Nickelodeon; Cartoon Network; Bravo; Biography Channel.
"This is a highly significant day for both the mobile and television industries," said Tim Yates, Vodafone's chief marketing officer.
"This is not a trial on a very limited number of phones or a service available on a single make of mobile, but something that all our Vodafone live! with 3G customers can experience. We currently have over 250,000 3G subscribers in the country and 72% 3G population coverage across the UK. Mobile TV will be a mainstream service."
Richard Freudenstein, BSkyB's chief operating officer, said: "Sky wants to give customers the flexibility to access our services in the way that they choose and Vodafone is an ideal partner to help make this happen. With Sky Mobile TV, you can now keep up with the latest news, sport and entertainment wherever you are.
"This is an innovative service that complements our existing pay-TV activities, extends the reach of Sky content and delivers an additional stream of revenue."
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