As mobile television services expand over the next five years, ABI Research predicts that the total number of subscribers will grow to 462 million -- driven in large part by the expansion of 3G networks, and flat-rate plans for mobile video services.
The build-out of mobile video delivery networks and an increase in the amount of available content will also contribute to the market's growth.
"Mobile operator sustained investment in video delivery will continue to be rewarded by subscriber's growing adoption rates, particularly as they upgrade to new video-capable handsets," says research director Mike Wolf.
"Consumers are being increasingly enticed by better experiences through more powerful and larger screens as well as by a widening array of subscription options."
ABI Research sees the Asia-Pacific region as the overall leader in the adoption of mobile video services. The number of subscribers to mobile video services in Asia-Pacific will grow from 24 million in 2007 to more than 260 million by 2012.
High levels of penetration will occur in both Japan and South Korea, each a leading market in mobile video services, while China and India will both contribute significantly to the overall total due to very large subscriber populations, even though the overall penetration of video services will remain much lower than in more technologically advanced countries.
"South Korea and Japan will continue to lead worldwide, while some countries in Western Europe will also continue to see strong growth," notes Wolf.
"North America will also see some uptake as more services become available in 2008 with the launch of the AT&T MediaFLO service, the continued expansion of Verizon Wireless MediaFLO subscriber base, and the growth of on-demand mobile video services."
The build-out of mobile video delivery networks and an increase in the amount of available content will also contribute to the market's growth.
"Mobile operator sustained investment in video delivery will continue to be rewarded by subscriber's growing adoption rates, particularly as they upgrade to new video-capable handsets," says research director Mike Wolf.
"Consumers are being increasingly enticed by better experiences through more powerful and larger screens as well as by a widening array of subscription options."
ABI Research sees the Asia-Pacific region as the overall leader in the adoption of mobile video services. The number of subscribers to mobile video services in Asia-Pacific will grow from 24 million in 2007 to more than 260 million by 2012.
High levels of penetration will occur in both Japan and South Korea, each a leading market in mobile video services, while China and India will both contribute significantly to the overall total due to very large subscriber populations, even though the overall penetration of video services will remain much lower than in more technologically advanced countries.
"South Korea and Japan will continue to lead worldwide, while some countries in Western Europe will also continue to see strong growth," notes Wolf.
"North America will also see some uptake as more services become available in 2008 with the launch of the AT&T MediaFLO service, the continued expansion of Verizon Wireless MediaFLO subscriber base, and the growth of on-demand mobile video services."