Tiny, portable telly -- the next big thing on smart phones – will be a reality soon. Prasar Bharati chief executive officer Jawahar Sircar said DD is keen to tap this market, as around 113 million mobile users already have video enabled smart-phones.

         He said mobile phone television has become a reality with the success of second version of digital video broadcast-terrestrial (DVB-T) technology, which allows streaming of number of high definition (HD) channels.Prasar Bharati will be making the big leap by offering eight to ten channels at 40 locations, including the metros and the state capitals.

      The services would be expanded to another 630 places depending on the response in the next three years, he added.The smart phone users will only need an antenna, costing between Rs. 100 to Rs. 150 in Delhi to activate the TV service. The same can be available on laptops too, through a dongle costing about Rs. 500.

        “A chip in the new smart phone will make television channels active, just like FM radio is available on phones,” said a Doordarshan engineer working on mobile television since 2007 when the public broadcaster launched its first pilot project in Pitampura, north Delhi.

       The project did not evoke much response then because of low penetration of smart phones and availability of only two DD channels.

Taking a cue from past experiences, the DD has now opted for course correction. “We are working on whether private broadcasters such as Star, Sony or Color would be interested in sharing content on our digital terrestrial platform,” Sircar said.

          A senior DD official said he was hopeful of striking an agreement with private television channels on content sharing in the next few months.The technology is already deployed in 63 countries worldwide, including United States and United Kingdom.

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