When CDs started to replace long players in the 1980s, purists grumbled that the format of traditional rock albums would be altered by the new medium. A 12 inch long-player had two distinct sides, two "acts" for more theatrically-inclined performers, even more when artists could persuade record companies to indulge their demands for the dreaded double album.

With the advent of shiny compact discs, albums became a one-sided rush from beginning to end (often literally so, as bands were pressured to complete recordings which would fit onto the standard CD running time). Listeners could even skip tracks easily, or program their players to play the record in random order, or in an order they preferred. Heresy!

Even the physical form of the CD package upset some die-hards. Sleeve art had become a genre in itself - how could a designer express himself fully over a five inch plastic cover when he was accustomed to working on a twelve inch canvas?

Rock music didn't die, though it may seem that way at times. Sleeve artists adapted to the new format. The world kept spinning. Today musicians rarely complain that fans download their work straight to their ipods, sometimes not bothering to buy entire albums but purchasing favourite tracks instead. There's no cover art on a downloaded album, though CD sleeves are available from sites for download and home printing. And the world is still spinning.

So how will the television industry take the news that British mobile network O2 and cable operator NTL are trialling television for mobile phones in the Oxford area this summer? Some broadcasters, notably CNN, Sky, The Discovery Channel and Cartoon Network are queuing up to have their output available on the Nokia phones and Blackberry handsets the operators are providing for the experiment. The BBC and ITV, along with several shopping and music channels, are considering signing up when the trials go nationwide next year.

Viewers are already used to being able to communicate while on the go. In future, they'll also demand to be entertained and informed while outside their homes too. Mobile television is a logical step forward from mobile internet services and portable radio.

But how will the technology affect the format of news broadcasts? Even devices specifically designed to carry news broadcasts have screens no larger than around four or five inches across: Much larger and they enter laptop territory and can't slip into a jacket pocket, which kind of escapes the point of portability.

This limits the detail broadcasters can use when filming. As with CD sleeve designs, intricate details will probably be out - broader views and close-ups will be prevalent. News tickers which scroll headlines across the bottom of the screen will have to grow significantly - using up more screen space.

(Incidentally, there has never been a greater gap between the sizes of television screens: From the 80-inch plasma whoppers to teensy 1.5 inch screens on portable phones, there is such a wide variety of screen sizes it is hard to imagine one broadcast format adapting to all sizes of screen. To make a piece of jewellery visible in all its glory for a portable tv screen would mean filling the screen with the detail. This would obviously be too much for a 70-inch plasma screen).

While the new devices have improved battery life, they will not run forever, particularly if the viewer is also using his phone for calls or Bluetooth applications. Furthermore, the pricing system, which is based on the mobile phone subscription model, might discourage over-frequent use. The first phones on the market cost £80, with a £10 monthly subscription fee, which allows 20 hours of viewing per month. Producers could find short, snappy shows in high demand.

That word demand: Broadcast tv has been created to meet the percieved demand of mobile users for instant connectivity and entertainment. To compete with portable internet, with its range of streaming media and news-on-demand services, broadcast tv will have to make flagship services such as news headlines more regular. Why wait half an hour for the headlines (especially while paying for the viewing time) when you can get them immediately on your portable internet device? Half-hourly roundups will be replaced with headlines every quarter, or more. Reports could be short and sweet, and on regular rotation, which will need to be balanced with the equally pressing need for variety.

Unlike radio, it is not possible to watch portable television in your car - commuters using portable television are likely to be public transport users, so perhaps cities with poor public transport links will find portable television less successful: Perhaps then, there will be more regional or big-city programming (commuters into London, for example, or Paris, could find themselves particularly well-served).

Only larger companies have the broadcast licenses and the finances to develop portable television services, and creativity has often been in short supply in big media. I would expect the creation of a number of smaller, nimbler broadcasters, sponsored by parent companies like CNN and Sky, who will have the creativity to react to the demands of the new mobile viewer - who, if mobile phones are anything to go by, will be younger than most couch potatoes.

Printer friendly version
Email this article to a friend

Related articles:

• Correspondent Single screen
• Winkball Newswire
• Used & Abused