MTV Networks will favor made-for-mobile TV strands over simulcasts, will eschew short clips in favor of lengthier programming and could launch the MTV Europe Music Awards as a pay-for-view mobile stream. Gideon Bierer, SVP-digital media, MTVN, told a Mobile Entertainment Summit session at 3GSM in Barcelona: “Simulcast suffers from limitations — screen size, localization, subtitles. It’s quite risky from a rights perspective. If you can’t secure the rights for one show, you have a problem — you have to customize your entire show for one screen. Where we can, we’re focusing on made-for-mobile. We do believe that, if it’s possible economically, it creates a better consumer experience. The primary motivation for M4M is you’re providing shorter programming experiences.”
He criticized the business premise of fellow panel-member company Sling Media, whose SlingBox device lets users stream their home TV channels to computers and mobile devices anywhere in the world. Bierer said the mobile viewing experience required a different set of production norms.
Longer shows: Noting MTV pioneered “attention-deficit” viewing, Bierer said the network started by thinking viewers wanted super-short video clips on their mobile, but had learned that they actually wanted more substantial programming. They are preferring to produce longer mobile shows with a mix of content from regular TV shows and unique, non-broadcast material.”
EMAs: Bierer said last year’s show from Copenhagen was streamed to mobile phones, but that MTV Networks was considering taking this year’s awards into PPV territory.