• by Wayne Friedman , April 20, 2009

TV broadcasters' big mobile push under the Open Mobile Video Coalition will start up in Washington D.C. by the end of this year. The OMVC's goal is to bring mobile TV to consumers, using digital transmission over broadcast TV facilities.

In an announcement at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas, the OMVC group added that two stations in Atlanta and Seattle will be test markets for research and development. All told, 70 stations have signed on to air live TV programming in 28 markets by the end of 2009.

A range of devices incorporating Mobile DTV technology -- mobile phones, DTV-ready notebook computers, handheld digital TVs, aftermarket in-vehicle video players and MP3 players -- have been created by LG, Samsung, Kenwood, Visteon and Dell.

The TV stations in Washington, D.C. will include Fox Television's WDCA-DT, Gannett Broadcasting's WUSA-DT, ION Media Networks' WPXW-DT, NBC Universal's WRC-DT, PBS' WHUT-DT and MHz Networks, and Sinclair Broadcast Group's operated WNUV-DT.

Test stations in Atlanta and Seattle include WPXA-DT, an Atlanta ION Television station that already signed on with mobile services on April 1. Also included in the test will be WATL-DT, a Gannett-owned MyNetworkTV affiliate. In Seattle, KONG-DT, a Belo-owned independent station, and KOMO-DT, a Fisher Broadcasting-owned ABC affiliate, will begin full-time broadcast of Mobile DTV signals this spring.

David Lougee, president, Gannett Broadcasting Group, said: "Broadcasters recognize that the successful launch of Mobile DTV will make broadcast TV practically ubiquitous. The beauty of the technology is that all parties involved stand to profit."

The OMVC includes 21 TV groups: Belo Corp., Capitol Broadcasting Company, Cox Television, Dispatch Broadcast Group, Fisher Communications, Fox Television Stations, Gannett Broadcasting, Gray Television, Hearst-Argyle Television, ION Media Networks, LIN TV Corp., Media General, Meredith Corp., NBC Universal, PBS, Post-Newsweek Stations, Raycom Media, Schurz Communications, Scripps Television Station Group, Sinclair Broadcast Group and Sunbeam Television.

This group covers 28 markets and 70 stations, for a total coverage of 39% of all U.S. TV households.