5 Trends to Watch in Mobile Video

Datamation content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

The growth of mobile video is an inevitability, and the only question about its rise is “when,” not “if.” If you’re wondering when cell phone video will finally find a mass audience, read this list of five trends to watch.

To get a handle on the rise of mobile video, we spoke with Howard Greenfield, an industry strategies and columnist, and the president of Go Associates, a consulting firm for digital media companies.

“I think it’s still on the cusp, but If you look at the stats, analysts are saying that the number of subscriptions and the revenue generated will boom between now and 2010,” says Greenfield.

Experts says that the number of subscribers will reach 250,000,000 by 2010, and that revenue will reach over $27 billion by that year. Greenfield adds that mobile video isn’t that big a step from what we have now, and that the factors are finally lining up to bring it to a mass audience.

While the area is coming on strong, it isn’t there yet. Here are five trends to keep an eye on as you gauge the growth of mobile video.

Quality of Service.
As Greenfield puts it, mobile video needs to have good enough quality so that you don’t subconsciously flinch as you mentally compare it to regular TV. Image quality will need to improve over what we have now.
Creation of Standards
While several different video standards are being tried, Greenfield says the need is for one overarching format to emerge. That will let developers create the necessary infrastructure, and will give the green light for mass content creation.
Creation of Delivery Formats
Delivery speeds are increasing on mobile networks, but they’ll need to be even faster of the uninterrupted delivery of video. Networks will need the speed, quality, and flexibility to offer high data throughput, integrative services, and a smooth customer experience, says Greenfield.
Advertising
How will advertising play out on mobile networks? Will customers prefer a subscription model for content or a pay-per-view model? Through today’s trial and error, a dominant system should emerge. “Everyone is throwing things against the wall to see what will stick,” says Greenfield, “but they’re confident that it will happen.”
Openness
The beginning years of mobile video will likely be a walled garden approach, says Greenfield, with consumers locked into their provider’s content offerings. But after than, a greater openness should win out as customers demand more choices.

However quickly or slowly these trends shape up, the movement for mobile video is unstoppable.

“I think this is one of the biggest growth opportunities of the next decades,” says Greenfield, “and the mass migration of content into portable interactive form will be blockbuster”

This article was first published on WebVideoUniverse.com.