Mobile Content Venture (MCV), a consortium of 12 broadcasters in the US in a bid to deliver mobile TV services have talked with Taiwan-based ODMs to supply ATSC-M/H terminal devices, according to industry sources.

The 12 members of MCV plan to upgrade their ATSC broadcast stations to provide ATSC-M/H mobile TV service in 20 main cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, around the US to cover 40% of the country's population by the end of 2011, the sources indicated.

The broadcasters hope to launch a large volume of terminal devices, such as portable multimedia players, portable navigation devices, e-book readers and tablet PCs, in the second half of 2011, the sources pointed out. Such devices support conditional access encryption and will be sold through retail channels without cooperation with mobile telecom carriers, the sources indicated.

Taiwan-based makers are keeping an eye on the business opportunity and hold a general opinion that, in order to develop ATSC-M/H as interactive mobile TV services, the broadcasters need to cooperate with mobile telecom carriers.

MCV members include Fox, ION Television, NBC and Pearl Mobile DTV.