The Appropriation of Mobile TV through Television Preferences and Communications Networks

International audienceThis article shows how users adopt Mobile TV in daily commuting. Pinpointing television consumption at the centre of their media preferences, they wish to watch TV programmes when travelling instead of reading the press or listening to music. However, the transfer of their television preferences, from fixed television to Mobile TV, is limited by several factors. They have to choose TV programmes that are adjusted to the size of their mobile phone screens; additional constraints include telephone network reception problems, short time slots, etc. This is why users tend to prefer programmes such as TV news in which contents are not produced around a structure of intrigue. This transfer therefore constitutes a practical ordeal through which television preferences are renewed. This article shows more precisely how users limit "places" where Mobile TV is used in urban environments, in concordance with telephone network availability, and consequently, how they likewise re-define the places where older forms of media are used. Indeed, they watch TV programmes when the phone network is available and they read the press or listen to the radio when it is not available, for example in underground public transport. They mobilize media, including multimedia cell phones, and contents suitable to the resources and constraints encountered during their daily commuting. This type of engagement in media activities relates to a form of opportunistic attachment consisting in exploiting utilisation opportunities in augmented urban environments. Consequently, by targeting the uses developed during travel time, this article demonstrates the renewal of media preferences depending on technical mediation connectivity and situations of use. In conclusion, the author defends the idea that describing this opportunistic attachment to media contents can be pertinent in understanding how the principle of ambient intelligence, according to which new media services are produced, and the effects of technical mediations, can renew contemporary media practices