In other words, the experience is different and any attempt to shoehorn regular programming into the mobile form factor will be problematic. Nonetheless, many trials of mobile broadcast TV standards, like DVB-H, have taken this approach.

Of course, there will always be someone who wants to sit and watch a whole episode of The OC on their phone. There will also be certain types of programming that warrant mobile viewing, like a live event that will otherwise be missed if not viewed “on the go”.

New types of programming will be required. Some of the operators are already aware of this and have produced “made for mobile” programs, such as the pseudo-live chat shows that appear to be live but are simply long video loops that start the user off at some random point to give the feel of an ongoing (i.e. live) program.

Then there are mobisodes - small episodes of a popular TV series, like 24, that accompany the main program. So far, these haven’t worked that well, mostly because the video experience wasn’t compelling enough (i.e. video downloads, not broadcast streaming) and because the content was so lame.

However, there is still plenty of scope for using mobile as a complement to terrestrial programming. The challenge is mostly for producers and screen-writers to generate materials that exploit the possibility of “parallel” narrative. Furthermore, this needs to be extended to incorporate audience participation. Any popular TV series, like The OC, has a huge online following, both within the producers own websites (e.g. HBO, Fox) and within the blogosphere and beyond, including the many unofficial fan sites.

The future is probably multi-threaded (or layered) programming that still works by viewing the main thread (i.e. just sticking to terrestrial viewing) but that offers a far greater level of involvement for those willing to participate via mobile and online communities. Today’s young audiences, nutured by the Web, are already comfortable with the multi-threadedness of online and gaming experiences.

The great thing about multi-threadedness is that not everyone can or will keep up with all the threads. Let’s say a thread develops on the mobile channel that develops the back story for one of the characters. Certain references from that story can appear in the main thread that will make sense to those devotees of the back story. The audience will segment into groups with various levels of understanding of the entire narrative, which is great because it provides a mechanism for elitism.

Elitism gives rise to hierarchy and social power to those “in the know” about what’s really going on. This is essential capital for creating “in crowds”, which leads in nicely to social networking. There is also the potential for reward for those who invest more time and energy into following the program.

Multiple narratives also give greater potential for user participation. For example, in The OC, we are given so many references to films and books. Seth Cohen is often heard talking about his latest film interests. I confess that I usually don’t have a clue what he’s talking about. Is it anime culture? Whatever, there is scope here for part of the audience to identify with these interests more directly, seeded by the wider programming ecosystem. Perhaps I could view a “side channel” to actually take a peek at one of the films mentioned and then - here’s the monetization part - order it, should I wish. Or, perhaps I can “hang out” in a chat room, or join a network, where these films, books (and his wall posters) are discussed and find out what I’ve been missing all these years.

No doubt, some of what I mention here is already happening and I’m just too square to know it. Nonetheless, mobile TV would be a great way to exploit multi-threadedness and I think that this has to be the road that the “creatives” will take us down. It would be relatively easy to tempt the audience onto the mobile channel if there are teasers that can’t be accessed any other way. For example, how about showing snippets from future episodes only on mobile? The user is then left wondering how we get to that snippet from where we are today. These snippets will inevitably be discussed online and this will pull more users into the mobile experience.

Mobile participation will be of interest to producers not only because of the greater creative potential for the overall programming, but because of the well proven mechanisms for monetization of content. Again, The OC is replete with trendy music references, all of which could be made immediately available for download via mobile. But why stop there?

Let’s go back to Seth. And don’t start to think that he’s my alter ego, although I am clearly of the “brainy” trait and don’t have the looks and brawn of the other characters. Seth is often seen reading a book that we all know is one of “those books” that smart kids read. Let the user hit a button and buy the book! Better still; allow networks to form where the books get discussed. This is where the programming can take a new direction and incorporate elements of “reality TV”. Why not have “Seth Cohen” participate in the offline (online?) discussions? The mind boggles at the possibilities.

Uniquely, mobile is always with us. This allows a user to dip in and out of a program’s ecosystem all day (and night) long. This just doesn’t happen with TV and desktop browsing. Therefore, the numerous threads of narrative and participation can be kept alive and provide a means of involvement with drama that has not been possible before.

This all makes me want to quit “mobile technology” and go become a TV producer - the possibilities are so exciting.