ROK Launch First Ever Mobile TV Service in Thailand

Thursday, February 1st, 2007
ROK Entertainment logo

20 Channels available over 2.5G

LONDON and BANGKOK — ROK Entertainment Group, a UK-based mobile entertainment and technolgy development company, today announced the launch of it’s mass-market 2.5G mobile TV service in Thailand in conjunction with Thailand’s leading mobile network operator, AIS.

The AIS ROK TV platform is delivered over GPRS and will be marketed by AIS, from today, to it’s 16 million strong customer base.

“This is a milestone deal in our deployment of high quality 2.5G mobile TV services worldwide” said Jonathan Kendrick, Chairman and CEO of ROK “and we’re delighted to be partnering with AIS on the first mobile TV service ever launched in Thailand”.

The mobile TV subscription service which starts at 50 Baht (approximately USD $1.25 per month) offers up to 20 channels, of which 3 are free, to include Fox News streamed live, as well as music, sport and entertainment channels in both English and Thai.

This latest deployment of mobile TV is part of a growing uptake of TV on mobile phones worldwide. Industry analysts predict mobile TV will become a multi-billion dollar industry over the next few years as more mobile network operators fulfil the bugeoning demand for live news, sports and video content on mobile phones.

AIS are supporting the launch of it’s ROK TV service through an integrated marketing and advertising campaign across Thailand to include national press advertising and online promotions.

AIS aim to generate approximately 1 million subscribers to the service within the next 12 months.

“No longer is mobile TV confined to those telcos with a 3G offering” added Kendrick “as ROK TV over over 2.5G actually plays at a faster frame rate than any existing 3G TV service and is compatible with even more handsets and, as we’ve created the opportunity for far more people to subscribe to on-demand mobile TV than just those with a 3G service, we are very excited about the growth of the sector worldwide”.