Mobile Entertainment
 |
Mobile Entertainment
As mobile devices and networks have become more advanced, the market for applications that provide entertainment to users has blossomed. These entertainment applications have been tremendously
 beneficial to consumers looking for more from the devices they carry and for wireless operators looking to extract more revenues from their customer base.Smartphone and cell phone users have traditionally relied on their devices strictly for voice calls, text messaging and email access. However, recent studies are finding that more individuals are turning to their phones for recreation and leisure. Consumer demand for high-end mobile handsets, coupled with increasing interest in mobile social networking and entertainment, is skyrocketing due to innovations in technology and phones’ abilities to serve multiple purposes.
According to an October 2008 consumer study conducted by mobile technology and applications developer Artificial Life, 46 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers now turn to their phones for entertainment purposes. Additionally, in April 2008, Strategy Analytics reported that total spending by U.S. consumers and advertisers on mobile media services, including Web access, video and music products, will more than double – from almost $47 billion in 2007 to over $102 billion by 2012.
A November 2008 report by Nielsen on iPhone users and their data usage revealed that 70 percent listened to audio tracks on their phones (39 percent downloaded music directly to the device), 66 percent downloaded software and applications, and 35 percent watched video on their phones (making them seven-times as likely as the typical mobile subscriber to do so). Nielsen also reported that 98 percent of iPhone users used at least one data service and 43 percent had a monthly bill of more than $100 (compared to 20 percent of all subscribers).
According to a June 2008 report from Gartner, entertainment and gaming applications have become the two most popular mobile tools for smartphone users.
In November 2008, The NPD Group reported that although smartphone usage is still highest for the primary purpose of communication, including features such as making and receiving phone calls and sending and receiving text and/or email messages, more smartphone owners are playing games than using business-related applications on their devices.
Although mobile gaming has not been around for long, the mobile gaming industry has already reached the $1 billion dollar benchmark, according to an October 2008 report by In-Stat.The U.S. market for mobile games is projected to grow from $344 million in 2007 to $1.15 billion in 2012, while spending on mobile music will surpass $4 billion in 2012, from just under $1 billion in 2007 according to eMarketer.
The study conducted by In-Stat found that about one-third of respondents said they had played games on their handsets and about one-fifth of respondents said they had downloaded games from Internet sites other than their mobile carrier’s site. In-Stat predicts that significant momentum for the gaming industry worldwide will continue to make the sector a key contributor to wireless data usage and revenues and expects the industry will exceed $6.8 billion by 2013.
Another mobile entertainment application gaining traction is Mobile TV which has seen strong proliferation in markets around the world.
|
