Reiter's Wireless Podcast Report

Rogers Wireless launches Podcast Service for $5 per month in Canada

The Canadian cellular operator Rogers Wireless today announced it was launching a wireless podcast network for an introductory price of $5 (I assume that's Canadian dollars so it's $4.35 U.S.) using Melodeo's Mobilcast platform.

Mobilcast has catalogued about 1,500 podcasts in 16 categories.  The podcasts over Rogers may be streamed for immediate listening or downloaded and saved.

Rogers has a Web page about its podcast service (see below) that spells out the charges, that could me more than $5 (Canadian). 

Here's what the small print (literally) says, " Once the Podcast application is downloaded to your wireless phone, you will be given the opportunity to update the catalogue.  If you choose to do so you will be charged 5¢ per Kb (charges will be minimal) or charged per your data plan."

Start of a trend?

The press release says this is the first cellular podcast network in North America.  It's definitely a feather in Melodeo's cap.

Mobilcast has catalogued about 1,500 podcasts in 16 categories.  The podcasts over Rogers may be streamed for immediate listening or downloaded and saved.

Unfortunately, only four phones, at least so far, support the "Rogers Podcast Service" (as it's called): Motorola ROKR, Motorola RAZR, Motorola V360 and Sony Ericsson W600.

Bravo to Rogers and Melodeo.  Perhaps this will spark other cellular operators to offer extensive podcast selections.  I've written previously about the small number of podcasts available through MSpot Radio and Rhapsody Radio on cellular phones.

Podcast about podcasts

Six month ago I posted an audio file on the CTIA Wireless Internet Caucus weblog that I write about the value of podcasts for the wireless business.

Rhapsody Radio offers podcasts via Sprint network

Two days ago I wrote about MSpot offering podcasts on the new Sprint handset I’m testing.  I also found another cellular “channel” offering podcasts: Rhapsody Radio.

I should have known about it immediately, especially because Sprint and RealNetworks published a press release about the Rhapsody service, with a mention about podcasts, on September 19, 2005.  But such is life.

Rhapsody offers five channels, at least on the service I receive, all produced by KCRW FM in Santa Monica, Calif.  The National Public Radio station produces about 20 podcasts that are available on the podcast section of its Web site.

Rhapsody’s podcasts

Rhapsody podcasts are:  “Morning Becomes Eclectic,” “Music Exchange,” “Film Reviews,” “Harry Shearer’s le Show” and “Left, Right and Center” (see left).  Some of the podcasts seemed a bit dated, but perhaps I’m mistaken.

As I mentioned in the post about MSpot, I think it’s a shame that with so many podcasts available — from big media companies as well as from savvy individuals — there are so few from MSpot and Rhapsody. Of course, I can download the podcasts from the Web and, I assume, listen to them by transferring the mp3 files to the Samsung MM-A920’s TransFlash card.

But that’s not the point.  I should be able to easily get podcasts via cellular.  Also, I assume many purchasers of the fancy high speed wireless data services, such as the CDMA 1xEV-DO networks from Sprint and Verizon Wireless, are savvy power users.

Cellular podcasts for techies

I also assume many of these users are techies, and techies listen to podcasts more than others.  There are many great technology podcasts.  So it seems to me that technology podcasts via cellular channels make sense.

Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that because the “channel operators” (MSpot, Rhapsody, Sirius, etc.) need to contract for podcasts and determine what their listeners will want to hear.  Perhaps offering a large number of technology podcasts is too much of a niche market.