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| Jackie Meyer |
BY JOYCE THORNE
San Diego’s Qualcomm has yet another award winner — FLO TV, the live mobile television service demonstrated at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month.
MediaFLO USA, a unit of Qualcomm, is the brains behind FLO TV. Subscribers get cable and broadcast channels on their mobile phones, including Comedy Central, CBS, CNBC, CNN, ESPN, FOX, NBC and Nickelodeon.
FLO TV also has several channels reserved for concerts and other programming.
MediaFLO USA’s profile was raised at CES when Audiovox, the New York-based automotive entertainment company, said it is teaming up with FLO TV to show live broadcasts on vehicle DTV screens by the end of the year.
“We continue to lead the mobile video industry because we deliver products that are cutting edge, easy to use and in sync with consumer trends ... And right now, absolutely nothing rivals FLO TV for delivering a quality TV experience and breadth of content to a moving vehicle,” said Audiovox President Tom Malone in a press release.
“We’re very excited about that because it really helps to grow the mobile TV category for us,” added MediaFLO USA Senior Marketing Director Jackie Meyer.
MediaFLO USA declined to disclose sales.
Programming On Display
At one of the Audiovox booths at CES, a Toyota Motor Sales RAV4 displayed four screens inside showing everything from “SpongeBob SquarePants” to news programs.
MediaFLO USA has also announced plans to expand FLO TV to more than 100 markets this year. The service is currently available in more than 65 markets, including Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, Seattle and Washington, D.C. New markets in the works include Boston, Houston, Miami and San Francisco.
Verizon and AT&T distribute the devices and services. The cost to subscribe is $15 a month and there are currently 17 channels available, said Meyer.
“What’s great about the service is it’s very ‘snackable,’ ” she said. “This is immediate content and information.”
Meyer said she was pleased with the response to FLO TV at CES even with this year’s reduced attendance and the nation’s economic problems.
