Norway Rolls Out DMB Mobile TV

OSLO: A joint venture of Norwegian broadcasters NRK, TV 2 and Modern Times Group has launched MiniTV, a mobile-TV service delivering six free-to-air channels using the DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) standard.

The service was launched by the joint venture, the Norwegian Mobile TV Corporation (NMTV), on Friday. With a MiniTV receiver, users can access the live channels—NRK1, NRK2, NRK3, TV 2, TV 2 News 24 and Viasat TV 3—in and around Greater Oslo on their mobile devices. NRK’s channels will remain free to air throughout the period, but TV 2 and MTG are planning to introduce pay-TV channels. Additional services providing interactivity, traffic information and on-demand programs will be offered by year’s end. NMTV’s DMB license is valid until July 2011 and may be lengthened if the initial period proves a success.