China Mobile Hong Kong switches on mobile TV
China Mobile Hong Kong has unveiled a mobile TV service for the territory, a move which the company hopes will boost its data traffic and create another revenue stream.
Bloomberg reported Monday the mobile TV service broadcasts offer both free and paid channels. The service can run on Google Android-powered tablets and smartphones while Apple iPhone users will need a plug-in receiver or dongle, it noted.
Citing China Mobile, the report noted the mobile TV service will increase data traffic on its network and create another revenue stream as a media content distributor.
The report added that free programs include user-generated content and TVB News, while paid subscription at the price of HK$58 ($7.50) a month offers more channels such as MNC International, Mei Ah HD Movie Channel, Star Chinese Channel, Cartoon Network and Nat Geo Wild.
"Hong Kong is a very special environment, so a lot of new services can be tested here," said China Mobile Hong Kong CEO Sean Lee. "We believe mobile and multimedia platforms are converging."
The telco's move into multimedia is similar to other telecom providers into region. In Singapore, StarHub, launched its TV Anywhere service in June, allowing its pay TV subscribers to watch content on mobile devices.