There’s been an increasing amount of debate in the Blogosphere about TV on mobiles and what’s actually going to happen now it’s available (albeit at early stage and limited availability).

There’s certainly seems to be a consensus among pundits I rate that just broadcasting TV channels onto mobiles isn’t where the success will be. Though that seems to be what the broadcasters and operators are trying first. Maybe they’ll be proven right, but I really don’t think so. Like video calling, there seems to be no real user-led demand for the service.

Why is it that technologists so often fall into the trap of supposing that just because they can make something that users will want it?

Carlo Longino, writing at The Feature thinks that user-created video content is where the action will be. He cites Podcasting and blogging as evidence of the shape of things to come.

The mobile phone, at its heart, is a powerful communications device, not a portable television set, and this is its real strength.

It’s back to the “C” word again. He goes on to explain:

Making it easier for mobile users to create compelling multimedia content, then expanding on the idea of Podcasting to refine its distribution, will deliver more success and more user satisfaction than repurposed TV clips, and the industry should realign its resources to empower users as content creators and sharers, rather than just trying to make them media consumers.

Meanwhile, Mike at Techdirt has been musing too. He cites a report saying that mobile TV is going to be bigger than God – sorry, that should be bigger than SMS, despite no evidence that people want it. He is also a believer in the user-created content ideal and links to Carlo’s article in support of the argument.

While I completely agree that rebroadcasting TV channels is not going to work, I’m not so sure that user-created content is what’s going to take off either. Yes, some people will turn themselves into producers of TV and video content, whether that be video blogs, micro radio stations, art projects or other things we don’t even know about yet.

But these people will be in the minority, in the same way as bloggers are a minority, but blog-reading is starting to go mainstream. Just because you give people tools, doesn’t mean they’ll use them, otherwise painting pictures, writing novels or making video calls would all be mass market activities.

The fact is that most people are happy to consume content but not create it. And I can’t see that changing as more and more content becomes available catering for ever more obscure niches.

That’s not to say that sharing photography won’t be a huge market, but that’s creativity made childishly simple – click a button and you have “art”. Shooting a video, writing a blog or putting together a radio show all take a healthy investment in time and some talent for the medium.

My owns bets for TV on the mobile would be placed in these areas:

1. Highly edited versions of existing broadcast content, designed for consumption in 2 or 3 minute chunks. Maybe Breakfast TV is the only thing that springs to mind which wouldn’t need editing.

2. Professionally written, produced and acted, made-for-mobile content, such as this, I wrote about a few days ago.

3. User-broadcast content or what we call “viral” content, where entertaining clips and games provided from 1 and 2 above, complemented by advertiser funded and produced material are sent peer-2-peer – the same as we send video clips by email today. OK and some of this might be genuinely user-created, but only a tiny minority.

I’ve used the analogy of jokes before. Most people love hearing jokes. Many love telling jokes. But only a tiny minority can actually make up jokes. This is the same as creating compelling content.

4. Features that complement existing TV programmes. In other words, features designed to be used while you’re watching your main TV and sold at a premium. An example might be access to special camera angles, inside information or exclusive broadcast footage, or SMS-to-TV shows, which seem like a licence to print money.

5. Finally, the good old adult industry. Professional or amateur produced video will be big. It always is and it’s not going to change with this medium.

Oh, and there’s bound to be something which comes out of the left field and seems blindingly obvious – in hindsight.

—–>Follow us on Twitter too: @russellbuckley and @caaarlo

There’s been an increasing amount of debate in the Blogosphere about TV on mobiles and what’s actually going to happen now it’s available (albeit at early stage and limited availability).

There’s certainly seems to be a consensus among pundits I rate that just broadcasting TV channels onto mobiles isn’t where the success will be. Though that seems to be what the broadcasters and operators are trying first. Maybe they’ll be proven right, but I really don’t think so. Like video calling, there seems to be no real user-led demand for the service.

Why is it that technologists so often fall into the trap of supposing that just because they can make something that users will want it?

Carlo Longino, writing at The Feature thinks that user-created video content is where the action will be. He cites Podcasting and blogging as evidence of the shape of things to come.

The mobile phone, at its heart, is a powerful communications device, not a portable television set, and this is its real strength.

It’s back to the “C” word again. He goes on to explain:

Making it easier for mobile users to create compelling multimedia content, then expanding on the idea of Podcasting to refine its distribution, will deliver more success and more user satisfaction than repurposed TV clips, and the industry should realign its resources to empower users as content creators and sharers, rather than just trying to make them media consumers.

Meanwhile, Mike at Techdirt has been musing too. He cites a report saying that mobile TV is going to be bigger than God – sorry, that should be bigger than SMS, despite no evidence that people want it. He is also a believer in the user-created content ideal and links to Carlo’s article in support of the argument.

While I completely agree that rebroadcasting TV channels is not going to work, I’m not so sure that user-created content is what’s going to take off either. Yes, some people will turn themselves into producers of TV and video content, whether that be video blogs, micro radio stations, art projects or other things we don’t even know about yet.

But these people will be in the minority, in the same way as bloggers are a minority, but blog-reading is starting to go mainstream. Just because you give people tools, doesn’t mean they’ll use them, otherwise painting pictures, writing novels or making video calls would all be mass market activities.

The fact is that most people are happy to consume content but not create it. And I can’t see that changing as more and more content becomes available catering for ever more obscure niches.

That’s not to say that sharing photography won’t be a huge market, but that’s creativity made childishly simple – click a button and you have “art”. Shooting a video, writing a blog or putting together a radio show all take a healthy investment in time and some talent for the medium.

My owns bets for TV on the mobile would be placed in these areas:

1. Highly edited versions of existing broadcast content, designed for consumption in 2 or 3 minute chunks. Maybe Breakfast TV is the only thing that springs to mind which wouldn’t need editing.

2. Professionally written, produced and acted, made-for-mobile content, such as this, I wrote about a few days ago.

3. User-broadcast content or what we call “viral” content, where entertaining clips and games provided from 1 and 2 above, complemented by advertiser funded and produced material are sent peer-2-peer – the same as we send video clips by email today. OK and some of this might be genuinely user-created, but only a tiny minority.

I’ve used the analogy of jokes before. Most people love hearing jokes. Many love telling jokes. But only a tiny minority can actually make up jokes. This is the same as creating compelling content.

4. Features that complement existing TV programmes. In other words, features designed to be used while you’re watching your main TV and sold at a premium. An example might be access to special camera angles, inside information or exclusive broadcast footage, or SMS-to-TV shows, which seem like a licence to print money.

5. Finally, the good old adult industry. Professional or amateur produced video will be big. It always is and it’s not going to change with this medium.

Oh, and there’s bound to be something which comes out of the left field and seems blindingly obvious – in hindsight.

—–>Follow us on Twitter too: @russellbuckley and @caaarlo