Telecom offers free mobile TV

TV shows like Outrageous Fortune will be available as part of a free trial of Telecom's XT Mobile TV service.

Telecom is giving users of its XT cellphone network free access to its new Mobile TV service, without sucking up their data allowance.

It includes content from TVNZ and MediaWorks which will be available on the 3G network within 12 hours of going to air.

News, weather, sport and business content will be continually updated and users will be able to watch popular shows like Outrageous Fortune and Two and a Half Men.

By dividing the shows into small chunks, Mobile TV will allow its users to catch up on parts of shows they missed.

"Unlike other mobile TV offerings, you don't have to watch the whole episode to find out what happened at the end - you can simply skip to the last chapter. This ability to 'snack' on your favourite shows, also means you could watch a couple of chapters on the bus into work, and finish the episode on the way home," said Telecom Mobile's Paul Taylor.

Customers with capable devices can access XT Mobile TV until November 30 on the TWorld section of Telecom's mobile portal.

It is not clear how much access to the service will cost when the trial ends.