The roads in and out of Hartford can be tricky, but a new free cell phone application with live video traffic updates is helping drivers steer clear of trouble spots.
And the BlackBerry/iPhone-friendly service that has already attracted about 6,000 local users gives a local television station a stake in a burgeoning media market.
New York-based 3rd Dimension Inc. unveiled its real-time traffic reports in Hartford just a few months ago in a partnership with NBC 30. The technology, an application downloaded to a mobile phone, gives users access to live shots from more than 250 traffic cameras in the Greater Hartford area.
After rolling out in New York 18 months ago, the application is also available in seven other markets besides Hartford: Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Knoxville, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. The company has signed an agreement to add the application to more NBC markets over the next year.
The free application generates revenue solely from advertisements, which pop up each time a user accesses a different camera. The ads appear for as long as it takes each new camera image to load, normally anywhere between two and five seconds.
The typical user sees four to five ads during each session on average, a clear sign that people are using the technology to map out their driving routes, said 3rd Dimension CEO Eric Joseph.
“People are engaged with the service,” said Joseph, explaining the company was concerned that people might download the application once as a curiosity and then never use it again. “They’re using it for directions and not as an iPhone novelty. We’re getting regular, sustained usage and that’s an important distinction.”
The application is compatible with 125 data-enabled phone models, including BlackBerry and the iPhone, each with varying degrees of quality. The technology works better with some phones than others, Joseph said.
In Hartford, users have access to 12 streaming cameras within the city and more than 250 Department of Transportation cameras along interstates 84 and 91 that are updated every 15 to 20 seconds.
Joseph said the technology got off to a slow start in the Hartford market during its first few weeks. He attributed that to the fact that traffic problems around the city pale in comparison to the ones faced by drivers in New York and Los Angeles.
However, since the release of the newest iPhone in July, the number of users in Hartford has doubled to more than 6,000.
As long as the application remains free, people won’t mind sitting through advertisements, even if they grumble about them, said Robert Papper, professor of journalism, media studies and public relations at Hofstra University in Uniondale, N.Y.
“They’d much rather complain about commercials than pay a few bucks for any service,” Papper said.
Since adopting the technology, NBC 30 has promoted the application on air and on its Web site. Mike St. Peter, vice president of news, said the station has been pleased with the response.
“It’s a great extension of the news and information service we provide,” he said. “People are used to getting traffic on the air and on web, so this is a natural extension of that service.”
The mobile advertising market is one that many expect to explode in the next few years. Mobile advertising accounted for $1.4 billion in sales in 2007, and it is projected to grow to $14 billion by 2011, according to eMarketer, which analyzes Internet marketing trends.
With advertising on local television stations down across the country, mobile advertising will play a significant role in generating new revenues, Papper said. How big that role will be, however, is still uncertain.
“There’s a lot of evidence to suggest how big mobile will be,” Papper said. “I think there’s some real money to be made in very large markets in mobile.”
While 3rd Dimension’s service only provides local traffic for now, Joseph said the company in the future will look to include weather and news updates. St. Peter said NBC 30 is looking into how it can further expand its content to the mobile world.
“Everyone has a mobile phone, so it’s where people are,” he said. “We are looking at this as a strategy to serve customers where they are.”
