Mobile Content Venture’s Mobile DTV Plans Take Shape with Conditional Access Deal
Content protection firm Nagra-Kudelski will provide conditional access technology to the Mobile Content Venture, a joint venture of Fox, NBC Universal, Ion and nine top TV station groups, the MCV said Wednesday. MobiTV will manage the operational aspects of the service for MCV and build a single client that blends broadcast and unicast content, MobiTV said. The planned service includes both live and VOD content, delivered over different paths to mobile devices Salil Dalvi, senior vice president of NBC Universal and co-general manager of MCV, said in an interview. The inclusion of conditional access means the service won’t be viewable on devices that aren’t updated with Nagra’s software.
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That’s why it was important that MCV select a vendor that uses a standards- and software-based conditional access, Dalvi said. Many of the early devices already being introduced will be able to download the software upgrade, he said. But for “those devices that have no additional path beyond the broadcast, it’s unclear at this stage” what role they'll play in MCV’s service offerings, he said. Devices that are incapable of complying with the conditional access approach MCV is using won’t be able to access its content, he said.
Initially, the service will be available ad-supported and free but will still include Nagra’s conditional access software and require users to register, the MCV said. Using the conditional access system will give MCV the flexibility to experiment with business models, Dalvi said. “We need to create some level of flexibility for ourselves,” he said. “The conditional access is a critical component to allow all the content owners to be able to build business models around it,” said Erik Moreno, Fox senior vice president and co-general manager of the MCV.
Nagra’s is a “light touch” conditional access software and one built on ATSC and Open Mobile Alliance standards, said Robin Wilson, vice president of business development for Nagra. “The ATSC deliberately picked a very light-touch security client that could be downloaded to most, if not all, viewing devices with very little impact in terms of load on the CPU, and potentially no hardware impact at all,” he said. Down the road, the system could be upgraded to a more robust installation if the value of the content requires it, he said. And the system will help broadcasters get a better sense of their audience size because it will require users to register the device before they can begin viewing, Wilson said. “It tells them the exact number of potential viewers,” he said. “That has some important consequences for advertising revenue. You have the opportunity to know a little more clearly what the customer base is,” he said.
Other broadcasters willing to adopt MCV’s conditional access system can participate. For “any NBC affiliate that is willing to comply with the conditional access approach we're laying out … we are very open to a relationship that will enable local broadcasts of NBC,” he said. The same goes for Fox, Moreno said. With many other network affiliates that aren’t involved in the MCV having formed the Mobile500 Alliance, much has been made out of how those two groups will or won’t work together, he said. “We need to with our affiliates,” he said and ultimately “the more important relationship is between Fox and its affiliates,” he said.
Dell and Samsung have already committed to build and deploy MCV-compatible devices, the venture said. The group said it expects to work with more device makers as its broadcast partners begin rolling out mobile DTV service in 20 markets this year.