CBS hooks video, real-time news into cellphones
updated 12:35 pm EST, Thu February 8, 2007
CBS Mobile Debuts
CBS this morning launched a new effort to link its TV shows to the mobile world. Called CBS Mobile, the initiative lets frequent viewers keep track of favorite shows and news through video. While the company's highlight is Dave TV, a $5 per month service that downloads video highlights of the previous night's David Letterman show, options also exist for downloading entertainment, news, and sports video alerts as they surface. CBC also claims a unique approach to customizing the phone dubbed "live wallpaper:" instead of simply offering a stock set of backgrounds, a set of images from the most recent episode of a show appears just hours after the show airs.
All aspects of CBS Mobile are active today and should work with most phones from larger US carriers. Entertainment news costs $4 per month, the network says, but news and sports are free outside of normal text rates. The move parallels the company's earlier expansions into web-based TV and TiVo downloads.
