Mobile carriers "want to deliver big-ticket television events like the Olympics to add exclusive, sticky programming and stay relevant with younger consumers," according to Mayes, Nicola & Orihuela of BLOOMBERG. The initiatives, on display this week at the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, "are being driven by improvements in handset-screen quality and the more efficient use of ever-more-robust mobile networks." Orange Deputy CEO Gervais Pellissier said, "We need to feed our networks with content." He added that in France, one of Europe’s most competitive phone markets, Orange may bid for football rights "or other video content if it can find a partner." Netflix CEO Reed Hastings told phone execs that the global TV network is "looking to expand its use on mobile and is investing heavily in making content start instantly on phones." Hastings: "We are getting more and more efficient at using operators' bandwidth." Discovery Communications said that "it will sell European carriers exclusive mobile rights to Olympic Games coverage by country." The partnerships will help Discovery Int'l tap "the incredible growth" of wireless devices (BLOOMBERG, 3/2).
