The Open Mobile Video Coalition, a US mobile television alliance led by a set of broadcasters, said that device manufacturers are readying “more than two dozen new receivers, tablets and accessories” supporting its chosen technology platform, with city-by-city service rollout scheduled to take place during 2011. The group is using this week’s CES 2011 show in Las Vegas to highlight products including a LG handheld television supporting 3D broadcasts without the need for glasses. The group also announced the launch of the OMVC Mobile DTV Forum, which includes non-broadcast members including “prominent electronics manufacturers Dell, Harris, LG Electronics and Samsung Mobile.” It is “soliciting additional members from OEMs, as well as software, service and content providers, in order to represent the entire Mobile DTV ecosystem.”

OMVC’s bullishness comes as a marked contrast to what would have been its main rival in the US market, Qualcomm’s MediaFLO, which is set to close imminently having failed to become a viable business – Qualcomm instead stands to profit from the sale of its spectrum to AT&T. At least in part, MediaFLO suffered in its early years due to the lack of supporting devices, although capable handsets were eventually made available from Motorola, LG Electronics and Samsung. Perhaps the bigger issue is the lack of an appealing business model, for what is an infrastructure-heavy service: Qualcomm and partners AT&T and Verizon Wireless failed to generate significant interest in the subscription-based MediaFLO, while mobile TV services do not currently have the audience numbers to make them viable on an advertising-funded basis. According to the results of an OMVC “consumer showcase,” while free-to-air services were deemed “a major positive with viewers,” nearly half of those polled said they would be “somewhat likely” to subscribe to premium services for a monthly fee.