Satellite mobile TV customers reach 20,000

TU Media Corp., the country`s only satellite-based mobile television broadcaster, said it gathered more than 20,000 customers after two-weeks of commercial services.

The company launched its satellite-based mobile television service May 1, allowing subscribers to watch television programs from their mobile-phones and other wireless devices on the move.

"A daily average of about 1,500 TV-enabled handsets is being sold right now. We believe the demand to increase with mobile-phone makers SK Teletech, Pantech and LG Electronics planning to release new models," said a TU Media spokesman.

TU Media, 30 percent owned by the country`s largest mobile-phone carrier SK Telecom Co., is currently providing seven video and 20 radio channels to its customers.

Hoping to gather an early customer base, TU Media will provide its subscribers free services throughout this month.

The company estimates that there are about 25,000 TV-enabled handsets sold in the local market, since their first introduction at the beginning of this year.

Mobile television services, dubbed by Korean officials as digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB), are designed to beam digital television, audio and data to handheld devices via satellite or land-based television airwaves.

TU Media is targeting 600,000 to 700,000 customers by the end of this year and expects to break even when it gathers about 5.5 million customers, which it predicts to be four to five years from now.

However, with the country`s four land-based television broadcasters - KBS, MBC, SBS and EBS - refusing to provide their content for satellite network use, industry watchers predict on uphill battle for TU Media in securing a significant customer pool.

(thkim@heraldm.com)



By Kim Tong-hyung