Korea - 2.4 million HSDPA subscribers and 6.5 million mobile TV consumers

6.5 million mobile TV viewers, though questions still linger over the long-term viability of the two systems, according to IDATE Consulting & Research

The country is a frontrunner in the mobile TV market. There are two mobile TV systems in South Korea: S-DMB, launched in May 2005 by SKT subsidiary, TuMedia, and T-DMB, introduced by terrestrial TV channels in December 2005. In May 2007, there were 1.1 and 5.3 million subscribers, respectively, to these services – a difference that can be explained chiefly by the fact that T-DMB is financed by advertising, whereas S-DMB carries a monthly subscription of 11 EUR. Another reason is that T-DMB offers the most popular programmes from the country’s terrestrial channels, added to which a sizeable portion of T-DMB viewership exists thanks to TV screens (GPS) in cars, whereas SDMB reception is only on a mobile device. Neither model, however, is guaranteed to become profitable.

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