iPhone Users Snubbed in AT&T Olympics Deal

Written by Steve Donohue

Wednesday, July 16. 2008 at 02:55 PM EDT 2 comments

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AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) has struck a deal with NBC Universal to distribute 2008 Summer Olympics content on three different platforms, including some content available only to a very select group of AT&T mobile subscribers.

But under the agreement announced Wednesday, AT&T customers that own Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL)'s new 3G iPhone won't have access to live content from Beijing on their phones, in part because AT&T and Apple haven't announced plans to offer AT&T Mobile TV content on the ultra-hot device.

The only subscribers that will have access to live content from Beijing are those that own either the LG Vu or the Samsung Access phone and pay at least $15 monthly to subscribe to an AT&T Mobile TV package, says AT&T spokeswoman Jenny Parker.

While Apple relies on selling TV programs for $1.99 apiece to iPhone customers through iTunes, AT&T Mobile TV subscribers pay $15 to $30 monthly for scheduled programming distributed to mobile phones. AT&T Mobile TV content includes programming from CBS Mobile, CNN Live Mobile, Comedy Central, ESPN Mobile TV, Fox Mobile, MTV Mobile, NBC2Go, and Nick Mobile.

AT&T Mobile TV customers will be able to watch live coverage of the Olympics on the NBC Olympics 2Go channel, which is operated by MeidaFLO USA. Wireless customers will also be able to access stories, photos, medal counts, real-time results, event schedules, and breaking news alerts.

The NBC agreement will also see AT&T distribute Olympics content to broadband Internet subscribers and pay TV customers.

NBC said it will supply video-on-demand content to AT&T U-verse TV customers, including on-demand access to up to 20 events each day and a daily wrap-up program. The on-demand content also includes clips from previous Olympics and previews of the Beijing games.

AT&T will also distribute broadband Internet content from the Olympics at ATT.net. The telco said its high-speed Internet customers will be able to access more than 20 live feeds on the Website during the Olympics.

AT&T, which competes nationwide with Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC), and other major cable operators through its U-verse TV product, also agreed to launch all of NBC Universal's HDTV channels as part of the agreement. U-verse TV now offers USA HD, SCI FI HD, Bravo HD, CNBC HD, NBC HD, and Universal HD.