TV wants to join the mobile-device revolution.

Sixty-three TV stations plan to roll out mobile broadcasting for a new generation of mobile phones, MP3 players, GPS devices and in-car entertainment systems in 2009, an alliance of broadcasters announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The Open Mobile Video Coalition said 63 stations in 22 markets, including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Detroit, Tampa and Seattle, would begin service this year.

With no devices currently available to receive the service, however, timing could be an issue. Korean electronics maker LG showed prototypes of mobile phones, an MP3 player and a portable DVD player at CES that could receive signals under the Advanced Television Systems Committee standard.


The technology promises live, local and national digital television transmission. The service is expected to be supported by advertising, a different model than the subscription-based mobile television services now offered by carriers like Verizon and Sprint.

The 63 stations in 22 stations will cover about 35 percent of U.S. television households, the OMVC said. Participants include NBC Universal, Fox Television Stations and Public Broadcasting Service.