Mobile app revenues set to double
Revenues from applications other than voice and messaging on mobile are set to double in the next four years to reach €100 billion a year by the end of 2013, according to new research from Screen Digest.
According to the analyst’s Mobile Intelligence Service, €8.6 billion of this will be generated by rich media content services such as mobile TV, video, games and music – growth of 50% compared to the end of 2009. The bulk of the remainder will comprise charges for data.
Screen Digest also forecasts that Apple’s App Store will generate €1.3 billion by the end of 2013 from 7 billion downloads.
Elsewhere, revenues from mobile music services are expected to grow by 25% in the next four years, reaching €3.2 billion by the end of 2013, with revenues from mobile games sold through operators’ portals and Apple’s App Store expected to hit €2.8 billion by the end of 2013.
Globally the number of mobile TV subscribers is predicted to double in the next three years, reaching 230 million by the end of 2013, generating €1.7 billion.
Ronan de Renesse, Screen Digest senior analyst, said: “Companies such as Apple and Google have brought a much needed breath of fresh air to the mobile content industry by opening up the ecosystem, providing flexibility to developers and content providers, driving innovation and increasing consumer awareness.
“Whilst 2009 proved that there is strong demand for mobile content, 2010 will be much more about how to sustain usage. Falling prices combined with exponential mobile data growth will threaten the profitability of stand-alone mobile content services and data access. The successes of 2009 could become the nightmares of 2010.”
A recent forecast from Gartner said that the mobile device market will see an upturn in fortunes next year, with a forecasted sales increase of 9% year on year, compared to 2009.