Mobile Media Will Grow, But When?US mobile media and entertainment revenue will grow to $6.6 billion in 2012 from $3.1 billion in 2007, according to Analysys Research’s “Mobile Media and Entertainment in the US: Forecasts 2007-2012″ report.
Analysys said that most of the growth will not happen until after 2010, when the technical and market environment for mobile media and entertainment is expected to improve.
High-speed mobile data will let marketers pitch mobile entertainment to more than just the early-adopter crowd. Mobile entertainment also promises attractive sponsorship opportunities.
For years, US mobile carriers have looked to non-voice services to grow mobile revenue again, since mobile voice long ago became a commodity service.
But availability of mobile TV, music and other content has been patchy and expensive, thanks to complex pricing, high data charges and unfavorable revenue-sharing arrangements.
Worldwide, mobile media is off and running in enough markets that revenue for such services will double by 2012, according to Strategy Analytics.
The company predicts in its “Global Cellular Media Forecast 2007-2011″ report that total spending on mobile media services by consumers and advertisers will grow to more than $102 billion in 2012 from about $47 billion in 2007.
“Relative growth in consumer spending on mobile media applications will be surpassed by advertisers, as they look to exploit the maturing cellular content channel as a means to deliver their marketing and advertising messages to key target segments,” said David Kerr, vice president at Strategy Analytics.
John du Pre Gauntt, senior analyst at eMarketer, said that will take time.
“Like most changes, [mobile advertising] takes more time, investment and learning than early successes suggest,” said Mr. Gauntt. “A lot has to happen before the mobile advertising ecosystem can handle the potential being ascribed to it.”
There are more mobile users than PC users. Learn what this will mean for advertisers. Get eMarketer’s Mobile Advertising: After the Growing Pains report.
