Would Dick Tracy watch TV on his wristwatch? AT&T and Verizon hope so. AT&T Mobile TV is the latest offering in what the telcos hope is an emerging market for cell phones — and the subscription fees that come with them.

Running on Qualcomm’s MediaFLO service — which plus hosts Verizon’s V Cast Mobile TV — AT&T Mobile TV will offer 10 channels of streaming TV composition for $15 a month. MediaFLO broadcasts by an unused television spectrum.

The AT&T service will be available in 58 markets, including Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, but only on two phones: the $300 LG Vu, a new touch-screen phone, and the $200 Samsung Access. In addition to the pricey new phones and the monthly subscription fee, users will need to sign up for a two-year contract. On the other hand, AT&T is offering a $100 rebate on the phones.

Subscribers to either the Verizon or AT&T plans will

get broadcasts from CBS, Comedy Central, ESPN, Fox, MTV, NBC and Nickelodeon. AT&T is plus offering movies from Sony Pictures and composition from CNN.

Weak Appetite

But do citizens really want to watch television on their cell phones? In a word, no, said Greg Sterling, principal analyst with Sterling Market Research. While a recent study from the Yankee Group estimated that five percent of cell subscribers would be willing to pay for a TV subscription, “I think that number is high,” Sterling said in a telephone interview. “The appetite for mobile TV is a very small one right now, particularly as a separate item you have to pay for.”

While MediaFLO is a superior experience to downloading video clips by a cell network, it is still “generally a poor user experience,” Sterling said. That plus the additional fee and the lack of supported handsets “means there is not…

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