I saw over at the Reuters that Sony Pictures is going to have its own channel (called PIX) on AT&T's MediaFLO when it launches in May. According to Sony, it will feature a number of films at launch, including Ghostbusters.
While I admit that MediFLO is cool (it allows you to watch TV on your mobile phone) I've never thought about using it for an extended period of time. I had MobiTV on my Treo 650 back "in the day" but don't think that I was ever in front of it for more than 20 minutes. Total. Between the small screen size and lack of opportunity to watch, I never really saw it as a must-have feature. Ok, so I can watch a little TV if I have some down time or if I'm riding a bus. Awesome, but I don't have the kind of time throughout my day to watch an entire episode of Friends, much less a whole movie. Most people do their TV watching at home, and I'd be hard-pressed to find someone who would use their phone as opposed to their TV. I mean, maybe if you don't want to miss your favorite contestant on "Idol" when nature calls...
Eric Berger, the VP of Mobile Entertainment at Sony Pictures Television had this to say
"We recognize that people are on the go with their mobile phone and coming and going," he said. "This isn't for people looking to view a movie for the first time. It's OK to miss the beginning."
Miss the beginning, the end and probably most of the middle too? PIX seems really cool on paper but it feels more like AT&T is just looking for something to differentiate its MediFLO from VZW's, which has been around for over a year as opposed to looking for a really innovative new feature. I just don't see a lot of people being too thrilled about being able to watch 3 minutes of a movie on their mobile when they have some downtime. Not even if it's Ghostbusters.
Full article at Reuters.
Leave a comment