comScore Reports 6.5 Million Americans Watched Mobile Video in August

Friday, October 31st, 2008
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With 4.4 percent of its subscribers tuning in, AT&T leads the pack in mobile video adoption

RESTON, VA — comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, reports that 6.5 million Americans tuned into mobile video in August. Among the top operators in the United States, AT&T claimed the most mobile video viewers, with 4.4 percent of subscribers accessing either programmed or on-demand mobile video.

Percent Subscribers Watching Programmed or On Demand Mobile Video
Three-month average ending August 2008
 
AT&T       4.4%
Sprint     4.2%
T-Mobile   2.4%
Verizon    2.4%
           ----
  Total    2.8%

Source: comScore M:Metrics

According to the study, on-demand video was the most popular format, with 3.6 million viewers. With 1.3 million viewers, amateur videos, such as those on YouTube, represent the most popular type of content, followed by music videos and comedy videos.

On-Demand Video Consumption, by Type
Three-Month Average Ending August 2008
Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers

                                                    % Mobile On-Demand
Type of Video                  Subscribers (000)        Video Audience
-------------                  -----------------    ------------------
Amateur Video Clips                        1,346                 37.9%
Music Videos                               1,224                 34.5%
Comedy Videos                              1,179                 33.2%
Movie Trailers                             1,074                 30.2%
Full TV/film                                 727                 20.5%
Local/National/World News                    645                 18.1%
Entertainment/Celebrity News                 629                 17.7%
Sports action or news                        603                 17.0%
TV highlights                                598                 16.8%
Weather information                          581                 16.4%

Source: comScore M:Metrics

Music videos are the top choice for programmed mobile broadcast video users, followed closely by full television shows or films and movie trailers.

Mobile Broadcast Video Consumption, by Type
Three-Month Average Ending August 2008
Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers
 
                                                    % Mobile Broadcast
Type of Video                  Subscribers (000)        Video Audience
-------------                  -----------------    ------------------
Music Videos                                 639                 32.8%
Full TV/film                                 622                 31.9%
Movie Trailers                               617                 31.7%
Comedy Videos                                596                 30.6%
Weather Information                          581                 29.9%
Local/National/World news                    563                 28.9%
Sports action or News                        561                 28.8%
Animations or Cartoons                       473                 24.3%
Entertainment/Celebrity news                 458                 23.5%
TV Highlights                                425                 21.8%

Source: comScore M:Metrics

“While the most popular forms of mobile TV and video are genres such as music videos and movie trailers which offer short video snacks, the data also show a nascent audience for long-form mobile content such as TV shows,” said Mark Donovan, senior analyst, comScore. “At under three percent penetration, the mobile video audience in the United States remains small, but it is composed largely of males between 18 and 34 years old, which could make it attractive to advertisers seeking to reach multi-tasking early-adopters who don’t have time for appointment television.”

comScore also announced the results of its August Benchmark Study. Mobile social networking posted the highest growth, at 8.8 percent, while photo and video messaging had the highest rate of penetration, at 26.3 percent. comScore M:Metrics delivers mobile market metrics through a monthly survey of mobile subscribers as well as automated data collection methodologies. Below are the findings.

comScore Mobile Benchmark Study of Mobile Media Consumption
Three Month Average Ending August 2008 vs. Same Period in 2007
Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers
 
Activity                       Subscribers (000)    % Mobile Subscribers    % Change
--------                       -----------------    --------------------    --------
News & Info via Browser                   36,185                   15.9%        1.3%
News & Info via Download                  13,274                    5.8%        7.0%
IM                                        21,032                    9.2%        6.1%
News & Info via SMS                       18,727                    8.2%        4.0%
Social Networking                         14,947                    6.6%        8.8%
Email (Work & Personal)                   33,564                   14.7%        4.5%
Purchased Ringtone                        20,124                    8.8%       -2.0%
Purchased Games                            5,478                    2.4%       -1.0%
Used Network for Photos/Video             59,877                   26.3%       -1.1%
Listened to music                         19,001                    8.3%       -2.2%
Received SMS ads                          48,943                   21.5%       -0.5%

Source: comScore M:Metrics