Mobile Web Audience Already One-Fifth the Size of PC-Based Internet Audience in the U.K.

Mobile Web Audience Already One-Fifth the Size of PC-Based Internet Audience in the U.K.

- Early Adopters of Mobile Internet Tend to be Males and Under the Age of 35

Telephia and comScore today announced the results of their latest study of mobile vs. PC-based Internet usage. The study reveals that 5.7 million people in the U.K. used a mobile device to access the Web during January 2007 compared to the 30 million people age 15 or older who accessed the Web from a PC (either a home or a work machine). At 19 percent of the PC-based Internet audience, the U.K. Mobile Web market is slightly more developed on a relative basis than the U.S. Mobile Web market, where 30 million (or 17 percent) of the 176 million U.S. PC Web users accessed the Web from a mobile device during the same month.

The Telephia and comScore research, MobileWeb Metrix, reveals that U.K. Mobile Web users under 35 years of age account for 67 percent of the entire Mobile Web audience in the U.K., whereas the same age segment accounts for 39 percent of the PC-based Internet audience. Research findings in the U.S. show that those under 35 account for 46 percent of the Mobile Web audience and 36.5 percent of the PC-based Internet audience.

Gender is also an influencing factor. The study reveals that 63 percent of Mobile Web users in the U.K. are male, compared to 54 percent of PC Internet users. In the U.S., 60 percent of Mobile Web users are male versus 49 percent of PC Internet users.

“Similar to the Internet 10-15 years ago, men under the age of 35 are the early adopters of new technology and more likely to use mobile devices to access the Mobile Web than women or men aged over 35,” commented Bob Ivins, managing director of comScore Europe.

Table 1
Demographic Breakdown of Internet Users
Unique Visitors, Age 15+
January 2007
U.K. & U.S. Audiences
Source: comScore/ Telephia MobileWeb Metrix

                                U.K.                         U.S.
                    % Mobile    % PC   Mobile to  % Mobile   % PC   Mobile to
                       Web    Internet  PC User     Web     Internet  PC User
                      Users     Users    Index     Users     Users    Index

    Persons Age: 15-24 25.4     20.0     127       22.2      20.5     108
    Persons Age: 25-34 41.4     19.3     215       24.2      16.0     151
    Persons Age: 35-44 18.9     23.8      80       24.4      20.2     120
    Persons Age: 45-54 10.7     19.9      54       16.8      18.0      93
    Persons Age: 55-64  2.7     11.2      24        9.7      10.6      92
    Persons Age: 65+    0.8      5.8      14        2.6       5.2      49

– Mobile to PC User Index is defined as the percentage of Mobile Web users in each age bracket divided by the percentage of PC-based Internet users in the same age bracket. Differences in reach % may not be statistically significant.

“The Mobile Web is at an early state of development, but we expect Mobile Web usage to grow as phone performance improves, sites optimise their content for the small screen and operators fine tune their tariffs, enabling consumers to take full advantage of mobile phone capabilities, content and convenience,” Ivins continued.

comScore and Telephia also revealed the leading sites on the Mobile Web in both the U.K. and the U.S., ranked by unique visitors. Popular PC Internet sites Yahoo!, MSN and Google all featured in the ranking of leading sites on both sides of the Atlantic. BBC and SKY were the leading sites for U.K. Mobile Web users in January, attracting 2.3 million and 1.2 million unique visitors, respectively (see Table 2).

    Table 2
    Leading Mobile Web Sites(1)
    Unique Visitors, Age 15+
    January 2007
    U.K. Audience
    Source: comScore/ Telephia MobileWeb Metrix

                     Total
                     Mobile
                     Unique                PC Unique                Mobile to
                     Visitors   % Mobile   Visitors        % PC     PC Reach
                     (000)      Reach      (000)           Reach    Index(2)

    Total Internet   5,708      100.0      30,072          100.0      100
    BBC              2,333       40.9      17,554           58.4       70
    MSN-Windows Live 1,758       30.8      24,072           80.0       38
    Yahoo!           1,513       26.5      19,660           65.4       41
    Google           1,434       25.1      25,804           85.8       29
    SKY              1,197       21.0       6,951           23.1       91

(1)Does not include operator landing sites such as O2 Active

(2)Mobile to PC Reach Index for a brand is defined as the brand’s reach among Mobile Web users divided by its reach among PC-based internet users. Differences in reach % may not be statistically significant.

    Table 3
    Leading Mobile Web Sites(3)
    Unique Visitors, Age 15+
    January 2007
    U.S. Audience
    Source: comScore/Telephia MobileWeb Metrix

                     Total
                     Mobile
                     Unique                 PC Unique               Mobile to
                     Visitors   % Mobile    Visitors       % PC     PC Reach
                     (000)      Reach       (000)          Reach    Index(4)

    Total Internet   29,676     100.0       175,559        100.0    100
    Yahoo!           15,861      53.4       127,460         72.6     74
    MSN-Windows Live  8,961      30.2        97,449         55.5     54
    Google            8,817      29.7       107,105         61.0     49
    The Weather
     Channel          6,594      22.2        35,433         20.2    110
    AOL               6,081      20.5        88,738         50.5     41

(3)Does not include operator landing sites

(4)Mobile to PC Reach Index for a brand is defined as the brand’s reach among mobile Web users divided by its reach among PC-based internet users. Differences in reach % may not be statistically significant.

The Weather Channel and AOL represented additional leading sites among U.S. Mobile Web users in January, with 6.6 million and 6.0 million unique visitors, respectively (see Table 3). The Weather Channel in the U.S. has a greater reach via the Mobile Web than it does via PC-based Internet, highlighting how the success of sites that provide content for people on the move by optimizing their content for the small screen.

“The advantage that weather, sports and news sites have over other Mobile Web sites is that they provide up-to-date information that consumers need quickly, anytime and anywhere,” said Kanishka Agarwal, Vice President Mobile Media at Telephia. “As a result, they are being forced to become user-friendly during the early stages of the Mobile Web, or face the risk that competitors could steal a march on them.”

About comScore

comScore, Inc. is a global leader in measuring the digital world. This capability is based on a massive, global cross-section of more than 2 million consumers who have given comScore permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behaviour, including online and offline purchasing. comScore panelists also participate in survey research that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions. Through its proprietary technology, comScore measures what matters across a broad spectrum of behaviour and attitudes. comScore consultants apply this deep knowledge of customers and competitors to help clients design powerful marketing strategies and tactics that deliver superior ROI. comScore services are used by more than 700 clients, including global leaders such as AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Verizon, Best Buy, The Newspaper Association of America, Tribune Interactive, ESPN, Fox Sports, Nestle, MBNA, Universal McCann, the United States Postal Service, Merck and Expedia. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com.

About Telephia

Telephia is the world’s largest provider of syndicated consumer research to the telecom and mobile media markets. Telephia is your connection to the digital consumer. Since 1998, executives at service providers, device manufacturers, content providers, and retailers have relied on Telephia data to make confident competitive strategy, marketing and resource allocation decisions. Telephia uses its unique measurement tools and large-scale consumer panels to completely understand the digital consumer’s behavior, attitudes and experience. To learn how Telephia data can help you understand the digital consumer and track your competitive performance, please contact us at +1-415-395-0500 or www.telephia.com.

Web site: http://www.comscore.com