Walk and Watch. This is what Beijing has promised the public as it introduces mobile television that will allow users to watch the Olympic Games on their cell phones. The city estimates that there will be over 1 million users to be supported by the local mobile media network by next August when the Games starts.
Meanwhile, millions of web users are expected to download sports video clips from commercial portals at home or in their offices, making the world's largest sporting event a personalized viewing experience.
However, several issues involving broadcasting rights, content regulation and technology remain to be solved before new media can take off.
For the first time in the history of Olympics, the International Olympic Committee has launched a tendering process for the sale of Internet and mobile phone platform rights for the Games, asking interested companies to submit their bid by Wednesday.
In the past, IOC prohibited broadcasting of Olympic images on Internet to protect the rights of major television networks.
"We are looking for offers that develop the promotion and coverage of the Olympic Games, embrace new technologies and guarantee the widest possible audience in China for the Olympic Games across a variety of media platforms," said Timo Lumme, the IOC director of television and marketing.
Timo earlier said that there were 32 million new media downloads at Turin Winter Games in 2006, up from zero at Athens two years earlier. IOC expects this could multiply tenfold for Beijing, due to increasing Internet penetration and rising sales of mobile phones.
He also said IOC would discuss new media rights with broadcasting unions and companies that it had signed contracts with before deciding whether to go to other parties. IOC has sold over-the-air television rights in China for the Games to China's national broadcaster CCTV.
But now that the IOC is looking to negotiate directly with companies for the new media rights, it would be interesting to see which of them will eventually become the rights holders.
While IOC will asses bidders on their ability to meet broadcast quality standards, reach broad audience in China and their commitment to Olympics, portals and mobile television operators in China need business licenses from the government that scrutinizes content.
For example, Beijing Television Station announced last week that it has obtained an IPTV license from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, one of six issued in China. IPTV (Internet protocol television) delivers videos over the Internet.
According to Chinese media reports, most video websites are running without a business license for Internet audio/visual program transmissions and may be subject to a government crackdown this year.
In terms of technology, if somebody were to try watching the Games today using the latest cell phones to hit the market, they would experience streaming pictures and sounds way below the level of what is delivered to their television at home.
Over the weekend, a sales clerk at Su Ning, one of the largest electronics stores in the city, enthusiastically showed off me several new models of what he called "mobile television cell phones. "
The handsets showed on-demand streaming video clips preceded by a download countdown clock. "The 3G network isn't ready yet," the clerk explained.
Sports aficionados might be able to revisit the highlights of their favorite Olympic moments with these handsets. But real-time broadcasts will still have to wait. Only time will tell when China can get to grips with more advanced mobile broadband standards and technologies.
