NBC & MobiTV

NBC Universal will start selling episodes of "Heroes," "The Office,"
"Monk," "Battlestar Galactica" and other full-length TV shows to
wireless users that subscribe to MobiTV, the companies said this
morning.

But despite the popularity of those shows, this offer doesn't seem
likely to move the bar on mobile TV adoption.

For one thing, the shows seem expensive, going for a minimum of $1.99
per episode, which will buy users only a 24-hour viewing period.
That's the same as most shows go for on Apple, but iTunes downloaders
own those programs -- meaning they're not limited to a 24-hour viewing
window. With Apple's iPhone due to hit the market soon, NBC's plans to
offer 24-hour rentals of its shows isn't likely to lure many early
adopters -- which also make up the MobiTV subscriber base.

Too, the 24-hour limit might prove impractical, as many mobile
batteries run down after several hours; if users spend one of them
watching "Monk," that's less time available for talking.

The deal also includes some free add-ons for MobiTV subscribers,
including ad-supported versions of some shows, like "Friday Night
Lights," "Shear Genius" and "Work Out." But those offerings in
themselves don't seem likely to drive MobiTV adoption.