• by April 1, 2008

For years, the most popular content viewed by mobile web browsers has been weather, news, and sports. But how is this changing and what is the next wave of mobile content?

First, let's keep in mind that no matter how much the mobile web experience changes in terms of form factor, speed, and accessibility, the mobile web will never be like the Internet. By nature, when people are on-the-go, their needs and interests are different and therefore content publishers must provide content tailored to these needs.

Mobile is about a 'right now' experience. Just as TiVo shifts time to change the way people watch television, mobile changes the way people can consume content. NPR has rolled out this model by delivering on-demand content, allowing its listeners to stream audio or utilize IVR (interactive voice recording) to listen to popular programming on their own time.

The same holds true with online services such as Cars.com. People tend to do their car buying research on the web during the week and spend time looking at specifications, image galleries, and comparisons. On the weekend, they are ready to shop and possibly buy. Therefore, they are more interested in accessing local car listings or locating dealers from their mobile phone.

Many entertainment companies are extending their reach into mobile to build communities and interact with fans through their most personal device; providing episode recaps, character blogs, image galleries, polls, and trivia games, and more. These publishers are also finding ways to leverage the medium to drive traffic to their traditional programming and content. For example, television networks allow viewers to check out their nightly schedule and also sign up to receive SMS alerts when their favorite shows are playing.

So where is mobile content going? The answer is deeper and richer. Where mobile content used to just be about the headlines, publishers are now providing a richer experience. Instead of just offering the latest headlines, news sites are providing video clips, image galleries, and deeper coverage of critical issues such as political primaries.

Let's take ESPN for example, sports fans can still get real-time scores and stats but now they also have one-touch access to other ESPN content like news, columnists, Gamecast, and videos as well as customizable information about your favorite teams, players, columnists and news topics.

Local content also becomes more relevant as mobile local search evolves and content is more accessible off-deck through sites like Google News. Now, mobile consumers can get not just national headlines, but find out what is happening in news and sports in their own home towns. Another great example of accessible mobile local search is New Jersey Transit which has a very user-friendly and lightweight mobile site that provides easy-to-use station and train schedule information for commuters on the go.

And how is all this content being monetized? Well, that's the topic of another article.