Mobile television is television which is watched on a small handheld device. It may be a pay TV service delivered to subscribers via mobile telecommunications networks, such as the mobile phone carriers, or received free-to-air via terrestrial television stations operating either in regular mode or a special mobile TV transmission format. It can also be in the form of IPTV streaming video from a wireless network, and in many contexts even recorded TV programs such as podcasts which are downloaded and stored on the mobile device for later viewing.

While MediaFLO uses the TV spectrum and MobiTV used cell phone networks, "mobile DTV" (ATSC-M/H) uses the digital TV spectrum.

At the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in April 2007 in Las Vegas, the ATSC and 8VSB methods for delivering mobile DTV were shown. A-VSB (Advanced VSB), from Samsung and Rohde & Schwarz, was shown at the previous year's show. In 2007, LG, whose Zenith Electronics came up with 8VSB, introduced (with Harris Group) its Mobile-Pedestrian-Handheld (MPH) system.

As the broadcast networks began making their content available online, mobile DTV meant stations would have another way to compete. Sinclair Broadcast Group tested A-VSB in fall 2006, and its KVCW and KVMY were participating in the mobile DTV product demonstrations at the NAB show. A-VSB had worked in buses at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show.

ION Media Networks started a test station on channel 38, which was to be used for digital LPTV, to use for a single-frequency network (SFN). In some areas, more than one TV transmitter would be needed to cover all areas.

Mobile DTV could have been used at that time because it would not affect HDTV reception. A single standard, however, had to be developed.

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