IP Democracy: ABC Makes Full-Length Shows Available via Sprint

U.S. mobile phone carriers are far behind their peers around the globe in terms of delivering full-length video to handsets. Verizon Wireless has full-fledged TV channels, VCast Mobile TV, made available through Qualcomm’s MediaFlo technology, but for the most part cell phone video in this country is limited to short clips of TV programs and hand-picked YouTube offerings.

Sprint, however, is trying a new tack. Starting today, video equipped Sprint phones will offer full-length versions of ABC’s hit shows “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Desperate Houswives” and “Ugly Betty.”

While the shows aren’t free, they’re part of Sprint’s high-speed data package priced at $20/month and will be available on-demand any time. Sprint is hoping that this move will give it a leg up over AT&T, which will launch the much-awaited Apple iPhone next month. The iPhone has a (supposedly) superior screen compared to most other handsets, but users will have to purchase programs from iTunes a la carte.

ABC is clearly pushing the envelope in finding new platforms for its programming. The network was the first to make TV shows available on iTunes, sparking a major shift in broadcast network content distribution.

Let’s hope other broadcast networks cut similar deals with mobile carriers for full-length TV shows. Those stupid short clips typical of the kind of video made available via wireless carriers in the U.S. are just dumb.

Posted by Cynthia Brumfield on May 15, 2007 10:05 AM to IP Democracy