Europe : Virgin Mobile today announces a partnership with BT Livetime in order to offer Virgin Mobile’s customers a revolutionary, live, digital television service, broadcast straight to their phones.

Inset is Graeme Hutchinson, Virgin Mobile quoted below.

The television service offers Virgin Mobile’s customers access to live digital TV 24-hours a day, and features the UK’s first mobile Electronic Programme Guide (EPG), so customers can see what’s on now, what’s on later and even set an alert to remind them when a favourite programme is about to start, up to a week ahead. Ultimately, Virgin Mobile TV will also let customers record their favourite programmes to watch later on their mobile.

Virgin Mobile and network partner BT Livetime will this month pilot the service over a four-month trial in the M25 region. The TV service will be broadcast over the DAB digital radio network.

Initially, the pilot will provide selected Virgin Mobile customers with access to Sky Sports News, Sky News and Blaze, a new music channel designed specifically for mobile television, and to more than 50 digital radio channels. Customers will also be able to enjoy the UK’s first mobile Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) and an interactive ‘red button’, which enables more services. The technology allows for significant channel expansion after the commercial launch.

Alongside BT Livetime, other key partners for the pilot are Microsoft, Sky, Arqiva (formerly NTL Broadcast), HTC, GCap Media and its subsidiary Digital One.

Graeme Hutchinson, sales and marketing director at Virgin Mobile, said: “This exciting new technology is a landmark in television broadcasting; it marks the coming together of the twenty-first century’s two most popular technologies – television and mobile phones. Digital mobile TV will revolutionise how, when, where and why we watch television and how we use our mobiles to communicate.

“People don’t just want to watch TV when they are at home; now they can watch it any time, any place, any where."

Chris Hutchings, director ventures for BT Wholesale said: “BT Livetime wants to be Europe’s first broadcast mobile TV service and it’s great to have a brand such as Virgin Mobile to deliver the service during this pilot. We think Virgin Mobile’s customers will really enjoy this service.”

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