April 1, 2006 in Japan saw the official start of the so-called “one-seg” (one segment) wireless transmission of TV channels on the cell phone. With a compatible cell phone, we can now watch TV on the cell phone.
I have no doubt that once the price of these one-seg cell phones come down to half its current price of around 40,000 yen, they will become wildly popular in Japan. Almost as with the hugely successful camera phone. It’s already very popular in South Korea.
You don’t need to download anything. The TV programs are broadcast live via wireless for free. The only cost to you is battery power. The screen is small, but big enough to recognize programs. As these TV phones become more popular, TV stations and advertisers will have to confront the fact that their programs and commercials might be viewed on a cell phone. Will they produce different programming or commercials for the cell phone viewer or use the same programming and CM as broadcast on regular TV? These cell phones also enable data transmissions so advertisers can receive feedback from the cell phone viewer, unlike via normal TV sets. This is a major advantage.
Needless to say, watching TV in the train, etc., will be too convenient to ignore. People still use the cell phone for a lot of emailing or text messaging. Someday, this will likely change when they will be watching TV most of the time instead.
I see it as a very practical thing, especially when you’re traveling in Japan. You can watch TV programs in the locality you’re currently in. You can check the weather and news. And it would really come in handy in the event of a major natural disaster. We are told to keep a radio handy in case of a natural disaster. But if you have a TV cell phone, that’s even better to keep up with the latest news. It’s much easier to carry a cell phone at all times than a radio.
When I get a TV cell phone, a spare battery will be a necessity. Hope those prices come down soon.
Update: I did buy a one-seg cell phone in mid-2009 for about 50,000 yen. It was somewhat disappointing though, as the reception is still subpar. In major cities outdoors, the reception is good. But indoors or in rural areas, the reception is either bad or nothing.