The day Canalys released study results indicating mobile subscribers have more interest in Location-based applications over emerging multimedia such as on-demand mobile TV, the BBC stood up at the FT Mobile Media conference in London preaching they want to reach 3rd screen users by exploiting Location to add context to programs. So, the BBC gets it and Canalys missed the mark. Location is a mobility ingredient adding value to any existing service, not a standalone application as Canalys presented it to its guinea pigs who unknowingly were forced into a binary decision.

So BBC got it right, but are they too late and can they catch up with others like Norway's NRK? NRK has offered a Location-based SMS voting capability on the political debate program Standpunkt since 2001. When votes are received by Standpunkt from mobile viewers, a map displays their Location which Standpunkt hosts use to highlight geopolitical opinion and stimulate program debate topics.

For example, northern viewers are more likely to have strong opinion towards liquor laws, whereas southerners will defend fishing rights with their lives. Indeed, NRK knows how to use Location! Will the BBC?

...Shout outs to Gunnar Garfors and Petter Nyborg wherever you are!

_{[Video broadcasted with NRK permission.]}