UKOM and comScore announce early release of industry-approved tablet audience data

Following the assessment of data from its partner comScore, the UK Online Measurement Company (UKOM) has announced that the publication of tablet audience data is to be brought forward to August with the release of July 2013 data; five months ahead of schedule.

comScore’s ‘MMX Multi-Platform product’ will be the first UK online audience measurement system to integrate tablet user figures, expected to set and deliver the standard for online audience measurement.

The study found that mobile and tablet devices now account for over 30% of all website activity in the UK, with 23.4% of all page views currently coming from mobile devices, and 8.1% from tablets.

When comparing the two devices, the report found that tablets are most popular when it comes to Home Lifestyle and Property browsing – accounting for 18.2% and 15.4% of activity, respectively – while mobile activity was significantly lower in those categories, used more for Health, Sports and Automotive.

Tablets are also the preferred device to read online newspaper content, though only marginally when compared with mobile – 13.6% and 13.1%, respectively. Collectively, the two devices make up over one quarter of all visits to digital newspaper platforms.

Though PCs and Macs continue to dominate all web activity, the results demonstrate the significant rise of mobile and tablet devices.

The latest National Readership Survey (NRS) reported that 24.5% of the UK population over 15 had personally used a tablet in the 12 months leading up to the end of last year, compared to 9.2% at the start of 2012 – a growth of almost eight million.

Tim Gentry, Revenue Director at Guardian News & Media said: “We’re very pleased at UKOM and comScore’s decision to bring forward tablet measurement, as this will start to provide advertisers with the level of transparency they require when planning campaigns in what is undoubtedly a strong growth area for the Guardian.

“The data will compliment our cross-platform Audiences Not Platform strategy – enabling our agencies and advertisers to plan campaigns across our entire progressive audience: in print, online, mobile and tablet.”