A new study claims that the number of mobile television subscribers worldwide will grow to 462 million by 2012.

The expansion of 3G networks and increased uptake of flat-rate plans for mobile video will drive the growth, according to ABI Research. The development of mobile video delivery networks and growth in the content available will also boost mobile TV adoption.

"Mobile operators' sustained investment in video delivery will continue to be rewarded by subscribers' growing adoption rates, particularly as they upgrade to new video-capable handsets," said ABI research director Mike Wolf in a statement.

The findings were reported in New York-based ABI's "Mobile TV Service" study.

Asia Pacific will lead in the adoption of mobile video, per the study.

ABI expects the number of subscribers in that region will grow from 24 million last year to more than 260 million by 2012. Japan and South Korea will lead with high penetration levels. China and India will follow, adding to the subscriber base but with lower video penetration levels than other more sophisticated markets.

Western Europe will also register strong growth in mobile TV adoption, the study showed.

The North American market will see higher mobile TV and video services penetration, too. The launch of AT&T's MediaFlo service, the growth of Verizon Wireless' MediaFlo subscriber base and the surge in on-demand mobile video services will help.