• by Wayne Friedman , June 7, 2011

New media platforms such as mobile apps -- entertainment apps in particular -- are found most often by consumers because of friends' suggestions. But the lifespan of many can be fleeting.

From a study of more the 1,300 mobile app users, MTV Networks says 73% of consumers find apps from personal recommendations, reviews, and use. It breaks down this way: 53% from personal recommendations; 52% from user reviews; and 42% from seeing a friend use a particular app.

In talking about the MTV Network brands themselves, Colleen Fahey Rush, executive vice president and chief research officer of MTV Networks, stated: "Our brands live and die on buzz, but app discovery and adoption is just as driven by buzz as any other content that we create."

Entertainment apps -- TV and movie mobile apps -- can have a shelf life of just a few weeks. MTV says 38% are deleted in the first three weeks after download. But the study says they offer multiple chances to engage consumers -- two-thirds of entertainment apps, or 66%, are checked at least once a day. For each entertainment app opened, 45% spend more than 10 minutes at those destinations.

Some 75% of consumers said it's important that an app is "entertaining or fun to use," while 62% said it's important that an app "feels good" in terms of its touchscreen feel.

Gaming apps do a bit better than TV in terms of lifespan. Fewer than 20% of gaming apps are deleted in the first three weeks of ownership. Nearly half (49%) of gaming app users check their apps at least several times a day.