Just as shipments of its free-to-air analogue mobile TV product have passed the 50 million mark, Telegent Systems, has Dr. Samuel Sheng has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead the next phase of the company's growth.

Telegent's products are designed to provide people with mobile access to the same, live free-to-air programming that they receive on conventional TV sets.

Telegent claims that its business strategy of leveraging the existing analogue broadcast TV ecosystem has propelled to the forefront of the mobile TV market, with analyst firm Forward Concepts predicting that more than half of the estimated 78 million broadcast TV handsets that will be sold in 2009 will incorporate Telegent's mobile TV technology.

Sheng, who has served as Telegent's Chief Technology Officer and executive Chairman of the Board since co-founding the company, intends to build on what he sees as the company's success to date, applying his product and technical expertise to define and execute the company's market expansion strategy.

Commented Sheng, "Since we introduced our first chip in 2007, Telegent has made significant strides towards creating a mass market for free-to-air mobile television. We are extending the value of live broadcast TV programming beyond the conventional television set to devices that provide consumers with more choice and convenience in how, where and when they watch live broadcast television. This adds value to the entire free-to-air broadcast TV ecosystem, including consumers, broadcasters and operators."

"More than 85% of mobile TV handsets shipped in 2009 will deliver TV as a free-to-air feature," added Will Strauss, principal analyst at Forward Concepts. "With its initial focus on analogue standards, Telegent has been able to combine a globally available standard with a business model for mobile TV that has strong appeal for consumers. This approach is enabling the mobile phone to truly serve as a convergence device for communications and entertainment."