Mobile Broadcasting Corp. has just announced that it will wind down operations of it’s Mobaho! satellite digital services by spring 2009. According to the press release the company face difficult market conditions for it’s subscription model in direct competition with the freely available 1Seg television offerings. Apparently the TU media (subsidiary of SK Telecom) partners based in Korea will continue operations. As Toshiba owns nearly 37% of the venture it is estimated a potential $250M write-down could affect the companies forcasted earnings for fiscal 2008.

WWJ has covered this story since the beginning. The original subscriber target of 1.5 million customers by spring 2007 was required to break-even and while we cannot find an official announcement of actual numbers along the way it’s obvious the company was struggling to secure perhaps 1/3 of that even with an extra year. While this certainly does look grim it’s remotely possible that another suitor may be inclined to step forward before the lights go out.

Related posts:

1. MobaHo!: Satellite Broadcast to Mobile
2. KDDI to Launch Operations in Russia
3. Sony Ericsson Scales Back North American Operations
4. Softbank to Broadcast Mobile TV
5. DoCoMo Reorganizes Chinese Operations

Some sage advise when entering new turf; Stop, Look and Listen.. it’s also good to secure a local guide. Japan is the cradle of mobile civilization – we have been dedicated to this space since 2001 – trust our archives here offer some useful material.

Domestic activities continue to set the pace, and sharp players are looking at global markets. We have hard-earned industry expertise and trusted network of contacts with access to advanced intell. and potential deal flow. Need a lift.. Ok, buckle-up!