Commentary

The Early Adopter Profile Supporting Mobile TV

The Early Adopter Profile Supporting Mobile TV

A recently released comScore study analyzing Americans' usage of, and attitudes toward, Mobile TV, (television watched via a mobile phone device) revealed that forty-six percent of those who currently subscribe to Mobile TV are below the age of 35 and 65 percent are male.  Males were also more likely than average to be interested in Mobile TV, while females were more likely to report being not interested.

Included in the complete study are insights about consumer behavior and attitudes toward Mobile TV, including information on product awareness, programming content, and key purchase motivators.

An analysis of Americans' usage of, and attitudes toward, Mobile TV by demographic segment revealed a higher level of interest and acceptance among younger adults and males. 

Demographic Profile of Mobile TV March 19-23, 2007(Percent of All Respondents)

 

Respondents

Subscribes to Mobile TV

Interested in Mobile TV

Not Interested in Mobile TV

Male

50%

65%

54%

41%

Female

50

35

46

59

18 - 24 Years Old

8

17

7

5

25 - 34 Years Old

25

29

29

21

35 - 44 Years Old

29

30

30

28

45 - 54 Years Old

24

13

22

26

55 - 64 Years Old

11

11

8

16

65+ Years Old

2

0

2

3

 Source: comScore Mobile TV Study, April 2007

Serge Matta, senior vice president of comScore Telecom Solutions, said "While the use of Mobile TV is a growing trend among mobile phone users, its current devotees appear to be the early adopters of new technologies... Once the early adopters have had a chance to fully engage with the technology and share their experiences ... Mobile TV is substantially more likely to reach a critical mass in the marketplace."

comScore asked consumers about their awareness of Mobile TV services: 

  • Verizon V-Cast generated the highest overall awareness of Mobile TV services, with 22 percent of respondents familiar with the service
  • 9 percent were aware of MobiTV  
  • 3 percent were aware of Modeo

Among those who currently subscribe to Mobile TV,

awareness was substantially higher:

  • Verizon V-Cast (43%,
  • MobiTV (34%)
  • Modeo (15%)

Overall, consumers would prefer to watch traditional-style Mobile TV content rather than modified or specialized content:

  • 56% of respondents would prefer to watch the "entire TV show" rather than a condensed version and
  • 53% favored general content (such as news) over focused content (such as extreme sports programming)

Of those who currently subscribe to Mobile TV:

  • 46% prefer general content to focused content
  • 43% prefer entire TV shows to condensed TV shows 

Those interested in Mobile TV preferred local news, dramas, movies and sitcoms above other content.

Approximately 71 percent of the respondents said that "cost of service" was a top consideration in selecting a Mobile TV service.  However, 67 percent of respondents who are interested in subscribing to Mobile TV also said that they would be willing to watch sponsored advertisements in return for free subscriptions, while 64 percent also favored a test period before committing to a subscription.

Half of the respondents said that "picture quality" was very important in selecting a Mobile TV service, while 47 percent indicated the same for "screen size" and 43 percent for "channel reception."

Key Motivators in Subscribing to Mobile TV Service (March 19-23, 2007 Percent of Respondents)

 

% Of All Respondents

Subscribers to Mobile TV

Interested in Mobile TV

Not Interested in Mobile TV

Cost of service

71%

64%

76%

63%

Picture quality

50

49

59

36

Screen size

47

47

49

44

Channel reception

43

46

54

27

Available channels

40

52

53

20

Sound quality

39

39

48

27

Ease of use

25

36

29

16

Security

16

21

19

8

Source: comScore Mobile TV Study, April 2007

For additional information, please visit comScore here.
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