Various sources used for downloading mobile content: Study

By Staff reports

March 21, 2008

All roads lead to phone

A new consumer study by ABI Research shows that mobile phone owners access content via multiple sources such as the Web, personal collections and from wireless carriers.

For example, there is a higher chance that mobile consumers would watch a video on YouTube on their phone than a video from their wireless carrier’s own service. But they are twice as likely to buy ringtones from the carrier versus another source.

“Perhaps more with the mobile phone than any other consumer electronics device, content is obtained from a variety of sources,” said Michael Wolf, research director at ABI, in a statement.

Fourteen percent of respondents said they use their phone to watch video, with 35 percent accessing video on YouTube, 31 percent from their carrier and 28 percent from video they sideload onto their mobile devices.

ABI also found that with music, the top source of music files on mobile is ripped CDs and sideloading onto the phone, at 48 percent. Thirty-five percent of respondents buy music through their carriers.

Also, pre-loaded content such as games were popular. Six in 10 mobile gamers reported that they only play the games that come with their mobile device.

Mr. Wolf believes that carriers will end up benefitting from opening up their networks and handset platforms, while exploring the advantages of “increased advertising-supported content delivery.”