TV on the Go

Imagine queuing up the latest episodes of your favorite TV shows right on your mobile phone, wherever you are in the world. Now imagine having access to live TV -- sporting events, news and around-the-clock content from all the major networks. You can! With several options for watching on-demand and live TV from your mobile phone or portable video player, you never have to miss your favorite programs again.

So how do you tune in? There are quite a few options, and while each service brings its own twist to TV-on-the-Go, they all share some common features. They all deliver up to 20 channels of live TV, they all carry the popular national and cable networks (sports, news, primetime shows, etc), they all require special equipment to receive programming and, last but not least, all but one require a subscription.

What are your options? Here are a few ways to watch TV on the go:

MobiTV
MobiTV delivers both live TV and on-demand content exclusively on mobile phones. Programming varies by carrier, but in most cases you'll have access to live TV from major networks, sporting events, etc. plus on-demand content. MobiTV is available through several national and regional wireless carriers on select handsets, including the iPhone.
How Much: Subscription pricing and plans vary by carrier, but expect to pay around $10/month.
Considerations: Available only on select mobile phones, see carrier web sites for more information.

Wireless Carriers’ TV Offerings
All of the national wireless carriers and several regional ones offer some type of live and on-demand video content directly to your mobile phone. You might recognize services like Verizon’s VCast or AT&T’s MobileTV. Many of the wireless carriers’ offerings are in fact re-branded versions of FloTV and MobiTV delivered over the carrier’s 3G network. With some exceptions, they all carry a similar channel lineup, though each carrier offers exclusive channels and programming.
How Much:  Most subscription plans are around $10/month for unlimited viewing.
Considerations: Wireless carriers’ TV offerings are available only on select handsets.

SlingPlayer Mobile
SlingPlayer Mobile is a smartphone app that offers real-time access to your home TV from anywhere in the world. Whatever you can watch at home--live cable, satellite or antenna, DVR-recorded shows, purchased TV episodes--you can watch on the go using this app. First, you'll need cable, satellite or some other video source on your home TV. You will also need a broadband Internet connection. Next you'll need a Slingbox set-top box. This Internet-connected component connects to and controls your equipment and streams it over the Internet. Finally, you'll need to purchase the SlingPlayer Mobile app for your smartphone or iPod Touch ($30). Once setup, you can watch and control your video source in real time (live TV, recorded shows, etc.) from anywhere in the world via WiFi or 3G.
How Much: Sling does not require a monthly subscription.
Considerations: The Slingbox/SlingPlayer Mobile combination gives you the most live TV channels, letting you watch any channel you can tune in at home via cable, satellite and over-the-air. Additionally, the SlingPlayer Mobile app is available for a large number of mobile device operating systems, like Apple, Blackberry and Android. Unlike the other options discussed above, this solution requires a much larger up-front investment in hardware and software to deliver live TV to your mobile device.

Conclusion: These are just a few options for watching TV on your mobile phone.
While there are a lot of ways to watch TV on the go, there’s no substitute for catching a live game or breaking news coverage on your mobile device.