Audio-Visual Content On Mobile Phones Proves Unpopular

Consumers are disinterested in using their mobile phones to view audio-visual content, according to the Olswang Convergence Consumer Survey 2006.

In the 2005 survey, 70% of respondents did not want to watch TV on a mobile phone. Despite the launch of a range of mobile TV services in the past 12 months and despite the mobile phone remaining respondents’ favourite device, the medium once again proved unpopular.

90% of respondents have not yet streamed or downloaded any full length content, clips or trailers to their mobile phones and, of these, over 70% stated they have no future interest in this activity.

Looking at the difference between computer and mobile use, it appears that people want full length content, not clips or trailers. It also appears that this full content is not really suited to mobile consumption; other than in special cases where content is short but complete, such as music videos.

Mobile phone companies also face competition from usage of other portable devices, with 30% of consumers already using a portable DVD player, Sony PSP, iPod with video or other device to watch TV programmes or movies.

The survey shows that consumers are beginning to experiment with all of the different device/content combinations now becoming available, but it is still too early to see who will be the real winners in this battle.