ITV

Tag: Phillip Alvelda

  • AT&T and MobiTV launch live TV subscription service for broadband

    AT&T and MobiTV launch live TV subscription service for broadband

    MUMBAI: AT&T Inc. and MobiTV, Inc., the global leader in television and music services for all things mobile and broadband, have inked an agreement to offer a mobile television service to broadband users in the United States, including AT&T Yahoo High Speed Internet and AT&T WorldNet subscribers.

    The browser-based service, which will be called AT&T Broadband TV, will enable subscribers to use a computer to access a wealth of live programming while at home, at work, or on the go using wired and wireless broadband technologies.

    Through the deal, AT&T becomes the first U.S. broadband provider to offer a live TV subscription service with MobiTV to consumers through any broadband connection. The service expands upon an earlier agreement that enables AT&T to offer MobiTV to customers who use thousands of AT&T Wi-Fi hot spots, states an official release.

    The AT&T Broadband TV service will initially have approximately 20 channels of live and made-for-broadband television content spanning national news, sports, entertainment and full-length music videos from top artists. Among the channels included in the initial channel lineup is Fox News, Bloomberg, Oxygen, History Channel, Comedy Time, Toonworld, Maxx Sports and the Weather Channelm, the release adds.

    The industry-leading, browser-based service features desktop integration for easy access, fast channel-changing, full-screen functionality and quality video playback. Subscribers can quickly access AT&T Broadband TV through a hyperlink or desktop shortcut.

    Users will have access to a comprehensive channel lineup for a flat monthly subscription of $19.99. And soon, additional television channels will be offered to ensure that AT&T customers have access to the broadest range of entertainment content. The subscription can be used with nearly any broadband connection, at home, work or on the road.

    Consumers can test-drive and order the new service at http://att.mobitv.com. The companies will also market the AT&T Broadband TV offering on the AT&T WorldNet portal at www.att.net.

    “The AT&T Broadband TV service offers our customers the ability to watch live television programming beyond the TV screen, increasing our capabilities to provide compelling content to consumers who are seeking information and entertainment when, where and on the device they desire,” says AT&T Entertainment Services EVP Scott Helbing. “The deal helps further enhance AT&T’s broadband service and three-screen initiative by offering differentiated broadband-enabled content that consumers are increasingly demanding.”

    “Television is officially available on the PC now and will reach television fans in their home, office, college dorm, at the airport or anywhere they happen to be,” says MobiTV chairman & co-founder Dr. Phillip Alvelda. “MobiTV and AT&T will deliver premium quality content seamlessly across all broadband networks, making entertainment, wireless and technology history.”

    Through this agreement, AT&T, the nation’s largest high speed DSL Internet provider with more than 7.8 million DSL lines in service, will give its customers and other broadband users a new avenue for entertainment and information, enabling them to take control of their viewing options. In addition, the company recently launched AT&T Homezone, a groundbreaking new service that integrates AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet, AT&T | DISH Network satellite television and AT&T Home Networking services via a single device.

    The new AT&T Homezone service provides Internet-based video with satellite TV programming in a seamless in-home experience, giving consumers a powerful new way to extend the best of the Internet beyond the desktop to bring entertainment content to their TV screens and stereos. It features digital videorecording, movies on demand, photo- and music-sharing, storage for both, and it whets the anytime/anywhere generation’s appetite with remote, Web-based access to the system.

  • MobiTV receives $70 million investment led by Oak Investment Partners

    MobiTV receives $70 million investment led by Oak Investment Partners

    MUMBAI: MobiTV Inc., a global player in television and digital radio services for cellular, WiFi and broadband-enabled devices, has announced the successful first close of the company’s Series C financing. Oak Investment Partners’ Bandel Carano will join MobiTV’s board of directors as part of this investment.

    The $70 million investment led by Oak Investment Partners will fuel the Company’s expansion in response to the overwhelming demand for its mobile television and radio service across international markets, states an official release.

    MobiTV’s products already reach more than one million paying subscribers across the globe who can now watch top news, sports, entertainment and music videos on their mobile devices. The Company recently expanded its product line to deliver the MobiTV service to personal computers across WiFi and other broadband networks and announced the commercial availability of the MobiTV service in Latin America, adds the release.

    “We have taken tremendous strides to develop this rapidly emerging market across three continents over the last few years,” says MobiTV CEO & chairman Phillip Alvelda. “These rather substantial funds will help us capitalize on MobiTV’s head start and position as the premiere brand in mobile television. We plan to use these funds to provide even more television content on more devices, across more networks, and in more countries around the world.”

    “MobiTV has a unique position in the mobile television market, serving as the leading content aggregator, delivery system and technology expert for carriers,” says Oak Investment Partners managing partner Bandel Carano. “This investment underscores our belief in the future of media delivery through handheld devices and PCs, and MobiTV is at the center of this change in both media delivery and consumer behavior.”

    MobiTV, founded in 1999 and headquartered in Emeryville, California, first launched its mobile TV service in November of 2003. Since that time, MobiTV has expanded to serve major domestic carriers including Sprint, Cingular and Alltel and has also grown internationally. The MobiTV service reaches mobile subscribers through more than 20 carriers around the globe including Bell Canada, Rogers and TELUS in Canada,

  • MobiTV integrates broadcast, cellular networks for seamless mobile TV service

    MobiTV integrates broadcast, cellular networks for seamless mobile TV service

    MUMBAI: Mobile video service provider MobiTV Inc, said it has successfully integrated today’s cellular networks with new forthcoming DVB-H technologies to deliver live and on-demand television via both unicast and broadcast networks in one seamless unified service solution.

    MobiTV chairman and CEO Phillip Alvelda said, “One of the most important lessons we have learned from operating this live TV network for mobile phones over the past few years, is that the future of mobile television requires a multinetwork offering that hides all of the multinetwork complexity from the consumer. This astounding new technology allows us to extend the MobiTV solution that has been so successful over the last few years to encompass any of the new broadcast TV delivery standards and address capacity, interactivity and quality requirements all at the same time.”

    Cellular and broadcast networks address different usage scenarios. While broadcast and multicast technologies address concentrated demand for the most popular content, cellular networks provide a dedicated connection which enables carriers to offer personalized content and integrated mobile-commerce. Combining network infrastructures allows operators to take advantage of the strengths of each to deliver consistently high-quality media content to consumers, said MobiTV executives, according to an official release.

    “As usage grows and the number of customers using mobile television grows, networks will require careful capacity management through co-existing solutions such as unicast, in-band multicast and DVB-H solutions. If broadcast technologies are needed in the future, we believe the ideal solution for operators and subscribers is a system that seamlessly leverages and combines the strengths of the available networks solutions,” said MobiTV COO and co-founder Paul Scanlan.

    MobiTV also will deliver features including seamless navigation and content discovery; unified billing, provisioning and authentication; live and on-demand media ingestion; electronic programming guide; premium channel purchase; mobile commerce; in-stream advertising; integrated music content; integrated clip assets; VoD and PVR functionality; location-based services; blackout management; and DMA content restrictions.

    MobiTV has also announced that over one million users now subscribe to its mobile television services worldwide. Since launching in November 2003, MobiTV has signed-on more than 50 international content partnerships and deployed its television services on more than 20 mobile networks worldwide.

    Earlier this year at the 3GSM World Congress, MobiTV announced support for several other network delivery standards including DMB, MBMS, BCMCS, TDtv, WiMax, and WiFi.