TVNewsCheck
Determined to bring mobile DTV to market as quickly as possible, nine major TV station groups are banding together to develop practical service models, forge partnerships and possibly enter the business in a joint venture, according to broadcasters involved in the effort.
The nine groups involved in what’s being called the Pearl Group or the Pearl Project are: Gannett, Media General, Hearst Television, Cox, Belo, Scripps, Ion Media, Raycom and Post-Newsweek.
Executives for some of the groups confirmed their participation and spoke in general about Pearl, but declined to speak on the record or provide details prior to a planned formal announcement of the initiative prior to or possibly during the Consumer Electronics Show Jan. 7-10 in Las Vegas.
Lynn Beall, of Gannett, cautioned that “there is nothing formal yet, but there is a group of people trying to get their arms around this.”
According to the sources, Pearl will have the size and national footprint needed to raise capital and cut deals with wireless carriers, mobile device manufacturers, retailers, other content providers and advertisers. More…