“Star Wars is one of the mobile entertainment industry’s true evergreen brands, and now THQ is pushing the boundaries of connected gaming with Star Wars Battlefront: Mobile Squadrons,” said Adam Comiskey, vice president, THQ Wireless.

Star Wars Battlefront: Mobile Squadrons is now available for download on more than 400 handsets from a suggested retail price of $5.99.

There’s an important distinction to draw between content streamed to mobile handsets over cellular networks, and free-to-air broadcasting to mobile devices equipped with mobile TV tuners. “Mobile TV users have yet to value the medium properly because it has not been validated as an independent product and service,” says senior analyst Jeff Orr. “It has been primarily offered at the end of a long list of more preferred cellular services. However, Mobile TV will soon be positioned in a more proper role as an extension of traditional broadcast TV services.”

“Mobile TV viewing will not solely be on cellular handsets,” Orr continues, “but also on MIDs,and automotive infotainment systems. I believe that once the content is available and the services launched, mobile TV will enable more classes of mobile devices that are ‘natural fits’ for mobile entertainment.”

ABI Research believes the timing of the market’s emergence is good. As 2009 progresses, signs of economic optimism may emerge, and allow the fledgling industry to establish a foothold before the holiday shopping season.

ABI Research’s new study, “The Mobile TV Market” provides an overview of the global mobile TV market, including the key technologies, services, content, devices, network infrastructure and business models, including market forecasts and strategic insights.

The report says that mobile music will remain the largest single sector of the mobile entertainment industry over the next five years. Revenues from music will rise from nearly $9 billion in 2007 to $17.5 billion in 2012, bolstered by the increasing availability of full-track download and streamed services, the former in both paid-for and rental formats.

Likewise, mobile games will retain its second-ranking in terms of end-user generated revenues: boosted by rapid growth in mass market “casual” gaming, revenues are expected to rise from just under $5 billion in 2007 to nearly $16 billion in 2012.

Meanwhile, strong growth is also expected from mobile TV, with many developed (and some emerging) markets launching dedicated mobile broadcast networks within the forecast period. This, plus increased adoption of streamed TV bouquets, should see the market rise from $1.4 billion in 2007 to $11.9 billion in 2012.

According to report author Dr Windsor Holden, “With revenues from voice services declining and messaging revenues flatlining, last year finally saw a number of more sophisticated entertainment services begin to fulfil their potential and redress the balance. With more widespread penetration of 3G handsets – or entertainment-focused 2.5G handsets like the iPhone – there is likely to be a much greater surge in both the adoption and overall usage in rich media services.”

Other findings from the Juniper report include:

• Regulations and prohibitions will limit opportunities in the adult and gambling sectors, although Juniper Research envisages that restrictions on gambling services in the key US market will ease in the medium term
• China and the Far East will remain the largest regional market for mobile entertainment throughout the period covered by the report, with revenues rising from $8.5bn in 2007 to nearly $21.3bn by 2012
• Entertainment service adoption remains constrained by difficulties with the user interface, network speed and coverage and the excessive cost of data services

White papers and further details of the study ‘Mobile Entertainment Markets: Opportunities & Forecasts (Second edition) 2007-2012′ can be freely downloaded from http://www.juniperresearch.com

MiWorld Go is a free application that lets subscribers preview the latest music and video content before deciding on their purchase.

Streamezzo Rich Media Software Suite is a complete set of tools for developing and deploying rich media services for any mobile device.  The Suite includes:

• Rich Media Client – a thin client application for service rendering multimedia content on handsets.
• Rich Media Server -  publishes a full range of rich media services, such as interactive Mobile TV, widgets, portals, and dedicated real-time multimedia services.
• Workbench – powerful authoring software for designing and creating interactive rich media mobile services.
• Rich Media for Broadcast – core Streamezzo technology enabling telecom operators, MVNOs, broadcasters, and manufacturers to deliver mobile TV over broadcast networks to mobile devices.
• Service Manager – a full-featured back-end solution that enables mobile administrators and marketers to manage and customize any Rich Media mobile service.

The new relationship brings TiVo and RIM together to develop a variety of mobile entertainment services that marry RIM’s leading BlackBerry smartphones with the content delivered to consumers through the Emmy-winning TiVo service. Initially, BlackBerry smartphone users will gain the convenience of being able to discover what shows are on and schedule television recordings while away from the living room and on the go. Future collaboration between the companies will focus on software applications that further simplify mobile access to video content.

“TiVo subscribers will soon be able to wirelessly control their TiVo DVRs using a BlackBerry smartphone — anytime, anywhere — and that is a powerful example of how our respective technologies can complement each other to serve our mutual customers,” said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO of Research In Motion.

“TiVo continues to transform and revolutionize the way people control and watch television and broadband video,” said Tom Rogers, CEO and President of TiVo Inc. “RIM and TiVo share a commitment to great user experiences, which cause our products to become seamlessly integrated into the consumer’s lifestyle.”

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