European operators are expecting the World Cup football tournament to provide a significant boost to mobile TV viewing figures. Orange UK has gone as far as predicting that "viewing figures could rocket by at least 74 per cent during the World Cup", but without detailing how many extra subscribers this will mean.
In an effort to 'bandwagon' this sporting event, Orange has also launched its Orange World Cup Live app, which will provide match commentary, scores, team news and other data on the tournament.
The company has been a leader in promoting mobile TV and claims sporting events are a driver to uptake. In its April Digital Media Index, Orange said that sports accounted for 50 per cent of its mobile TV content consumed, with the UK TV channels ITV1 the third most popular channel on the service, behind Sky Sports One and Sky Sports Two.
Orange UK is offering a mobile TV package for £5.99 that will provide one-month's viewing of games screened by the TV broadcaster ITV1.
However, some analysts believe that outside of Western Europe, uptake of mobile TV to view World Cup football will likely be negligible. The argument being made though is that national representation, kickoff times and optimism about the calibre of Western European teams will drive adoption across Germany, Italy, Spain, France and the UK.
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