Whats next in Mobile and TV convergence, MTV tells us

A week ago in London at the IIR Mobile Content conference, I had the distinct pleasure of once again hearing our very dear friend Luciana "Lu" Pavan of MTV Networks Europe discuss mobile and TV convergence. She is a must-see speaker and once again produced a volume of insights, examples and findings.

WILL MOBILE TAKE OVER FROM TV

So, do "all TV content migrate to mobile phones?" Lu doesn't think so. She said that while MTV runs lots of shows on mobile and often runs simulcasts, a mobile screen is not a substitute to the larger "real" TV screen, mobile is an additional delivery channel. (Sounds very similar in thinking to our themes that the 7th mass media channel ie mobile is different from TV the 5th mass media channel).

BACKSTAGE PASS

The MTV live backstage pass to the Video Music Awards via 3G mobile phones, that we've discussed many times before, and which was first trialled by MTV for the European VMA's in 2005 - were now for the first time offered also for the main USA channel and American viewers to see the backstage pass for this year's main VMA's. Nice to see that successful concepts from Europe also get the opportunity in America. MTV has had lot of chances to play with the format, so now they offer such elements as the red carpet view, behind the scenes "spy cams" and exclusive extended interviews that are only available on the 3G mobile TV simulcast, while the main Video Music Awards show (or some other major MTV extravaganza) is broadcast on the main screen.

MTV does many videogames for mobile built around their own titles, such as Jackass. Its a handy way to expand the brand and to monetize the brand via mobile.

I quoted Luciana in my newest book, Mobile as 7th of the Mass Media, about the need to use separate TV crews when creating broadcast TV content, and when shooting the same action for the mobile screen. Lu of course discussed this aspect as well in her speech to the conference and it is quite a radical thought. But there is content that can be simply chopped up and "looped" and run in continuous repeats. Kids love Spongebob the cartoon and this works fine with short Spongebob clips looped, and kids don't mind seeing the same clip again a little while later.

Luciana reported that now that their producers, directors and scriptwriters have been experimenting with mobile, they also are starting to understand the particular strenghts and limitations of that alternate channel, and are now planning for the mobile elements when a new show is being planned. This to me was a "watershed" moment and I believe we will see very much more innovation in the mobile space on all major MTV properties on their various channels from MTV and VH-1 onto Comedy Channel etc.

GAMEKILLERS

Lu also described a hot new reality TV show on the MTV networks. It is sponsored by the deodorant brand Axe, and builds on MTV's long heritage in reality programming (they invented the format with the original House and also MTV invented TV-interactivity via SMS voting, with Videoclash) and now include such staples as Punk'd and The Hills. Anyway, in Gamekillers, the idea is to test out young men and their ability to get the girl (as has been the theme for a long time in the Axe deodorant commercials). The point is, that the game contesting men are placed in contest against each other (real contestants) but the women are not "random" real women, they are actresses, with storylines. A certain girl is out there for example to mess up the flirting situation between the contestant and target woman, etc.

MEET OR DELETE

Another - again this can only come from some company that has a long heritage in both reality TV and in digital convergences - reality TV show is Meet or Delete. The idea is, that girls will sample prospective first date boys, by accessing the hard drives of the laptops that the boys have (???? !!!! ????). MTV gives the boys the laptops and the boys behave like boys, download games, surf the web, probably visit adult sites and porn sites, etc - and the boys don't know, but the girls will have accesss to the history of what the boys have done and have stored on their PCs. I guess this kind of reality TV was bound to happen...  Apparently Meet or Delete is very popular right now. I can imagine the women love it, ha-ha..

BEST SHOW EVER

And on a mobile-specific dimension, Luciana told of the Best Show Ever, which is a mobile TV show, where user-generated content is submitted for claims of "I am the best at.." and then that can be whatever. The best at chewing gum real fast, whatever. The show has viewers vote for who are really worthy of being the best, and the very best get also shown on the television network side of MTV. Good concept.

MOBISODES OR SNACK BITS?

Then Luciana discussed what length and types of formats work and don't work in mobile. Again she drew on years of experimentation in dozens of countries where mobile TV concepts have been launched by MTV during this decade. She said that the tolerance of how long viewers are willing to watch mobile TV is growing longer, somewhat in synch with the growing screen sizes of modern mobile phones. People are far more willing to watch mobile TV on a 3 inch screen than a 2 inch screen, etc. She said that earlier they needed 5 minute clips, but today even full 30 minute episodes of their reality soap opera series, The Hills, work fine on mobile. If content is longer, like a video awards show or a movie or say Jackass, then it makes sense to chop it up into shorter bites. A 90 minute movie works very well in 15 minute segments for example.

But Luciana returned to her premise, mobile will not take over for TV, mobile is an extension of TV, not a substitute.

MTV JAPAN

And what of the future? I loved it that Lu also again discussed what MTV Japan is doing. The mobile TV variant of MTV in Japan is totally free, ad sponsored, called MyMTV. It includes blogs and artist websites and full viewer interactivity. Where it used to be in the rest of the world, that artists released their brand new songs on MTV first as music videos, before the songs were offered for radio, or released for sale; Japan has now moved beyond that. In Japan all artists now release their newest video to MyMTV first - yes on mobile - even before the video is shown on the television channel of MTV. How is MTV taking lessons from Japan? They are now for example inviting viewers and fans to submit user-generated pilots and show ideas to MTV...   Yes, they still are the masters of mobile and TV convergence, do keep your eyes glued to MTV. Great presentation Lu, loved it! And here in Hong Kong my current cable channel does not offer MTV, only a lame local music video variant. I want my MTV !!!