Survey says: Young men want Mobile TV

A comScore survey released today revealed that two-out-of-three mobile TV subscribers are male, and nearly half are under the age of 35. The study measured attitudes toward the burgeoning new mobile media, and included the views of over 2,000 cell phone users.

The detailed data highlights several interesting trends. For starters, 56% of mobile TV users say they prefer to watch an “entire TV show” rather than condensed content designed specially for mobile devices — that seems to contradict some industry assumptions about the consumption of video via cell phone. In addition, 53% of the folks surveyed prefer “general content” (like news) to “focused content”.

comScore also reports that, unsurprisingly, “cost of service” is the primary consideration for people selecting a mobile TV service, with 71% citing that concern. Screen size, picture quality, and available channels also affect consumer interest.
Perhaps the most interesting result, taking a long-term perspective, is that 67% of the respondents would gladly watch sponsored advertising in return for free subscriptions. This points to a future with potential choices; much like television viewers now opt for broadcast networks and/or paid channels like HBO, the mobile TV industry could conceivably do the same.