MTN launches mobile TV broadcasts

South African cellular operator MTN says it has launched Africa’s first mobile TV broadcast service. Customers who join the service, which is currently being run as a free trial, can access eleven TV channels. MTN already offers a video-on-demand service which allows users to download video content to 3G handsets, but the new service is the first to provide live broadcasts specifically for mobile users. Content is provided by MultiChoice. Local newspaper Business Day says the trials are being carried out in Soweto, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town, with around 1,000 customers already having signed up.