In an effort to extend further into big ticket live sporting events, mobile TV service Qualcomm’s Flo TV is taking one giant step this week with a new deal in partnership with NBC Universal for a series of major events.
Events now covered will include The Preakness Stakes, the French Open, the Stanley Cup Final, the U.S. Open and Wimbledon.
Proving the increasing competitiveness of the genre, Flo TV competitor MobiTV has a deal with CBS for the NCAA, in which March Madness championship basketball is aired every March.
As it stands, by now Flo TV has already aired thousands of hours of college basketball and football, professional basketball and baseball, golf, soccer, boxing, auto racing, and hockey. Included among these events are big-ticket broadcasts, like the U.S. Open golf championship, for which it said viewership climbed 80% over its usual viewing average.
Currently, MobiTV has 6 million subscribers. Flo TV does not release subscriber numbers. Nonetheless, it’s available to AT&T subscribers and Verizon Wireless customers in 68 markets nationwide.
