The time for mobile TV is now. By giving users the flexibility to access a variety of channels anytime, anywhere mobile TV is much more than just television on a small screen.

For the YouTube generation, those 18 to 35-year-olds who thrive on Google Video, MySpace, Bebo and other user-generated content, mobile TV is about freedom and flexibility; they can tune in and turn on. And with the capability to watch TV either inside or outside the home, they can drop into any stream of daily life.

This evolution in television is literally transforming consumer behavior. Early adopters don't just watch TV these days, they are watching TV, surfing the net, downloading music and chatting with friends - simultaneously. Mobile TV allows them to engage and be active, participate in the programs and customize what they're viewing while they are out and about in the same manner they have become accustomed to on the internet.

Niclas Medman, marketing director, Media Solutions, Ericsson, says: "Evolved TV (mobile TV and IPTV) enables interactivity and personalization. This generation expects to consume the content it wants, when it wants, where it wants."

"This behavior is very different from traditional viewing. The proactive approach indicates that consumers are actively interacting, selecting programs on-demand, ensuring that the TV format fits the available time they have, rather than sitting back and being passive." 

Whether it's engaging in a political debate aboard the metro in France, voting for your favorite pop star from a park in Sweden, or appearing in your own short film while on your bicycle in the Netherlands, mobile TV allows anyone to be an international correspondent, contest judge or film director.

Ericsson believes that the real future of mobile content lies in the fact that mobile networks support two-way traffic: the consumption can turn interactive and personalized whenever and wherever users want. This technology puts the consumer at the controls, allowing them to publish, participate and pose questions.

And the mobile TV boom has only just begun. Its potential on telecom networks is significant. By October 2006, there were considerably more than 2 billion mobile subscribers worldwide, and that number keeps growing. Research firm Analysys predicts that, in less than five years, mobile TV will reach about 200 million subscribers globally. Ericsson ConsumerLab research reveals that almost 40 percent of current mobile TV users use mobile TV on a daily basis.

Participating, personalizing and empowering - mobile TV is becoming so popular it's like having the coolest kid on the block in your very own pocket.