The newest in mobile media content may provide long-time television sidekick TV Guide with a renewed purpose. TV Guide may have felt like Woody of 4INFO, a search service for the mobile platforms, to provide viewers with the chance to search their local channel guide using their cell phone. According to early publicity about the service, the relatively simple technology will allow the service to be accessible through almost all cell phones.
While TV Guide may struggle against Internet and digital cable/satellite capabilities, expanding into the mobile arena gives the brand a chance to master new terrain, where it can become a trusted name in providing program times for television stations.
Could there come a day when the TV Guide brand becomes one no longer associated with the physical magazine? The company is certainly preparing itself for that day and is proving that providing data on multiple media platforms can often help insure that a company stays relevant in a constantly shifting media environment.
