Friday 28 August 2015

90% of time American smartphone owners spend on mobile is in apps


(So Facebook is twice as big as the web...)
Source:  Flurry, 26th August 2015
Earlier - 86% of time spent is in apps, reported in April 2014

One billion people used Facebook on Monday 24th August

"We just passed an important milestone. For the first time ever, one billion people used Facebook in a single day.
On Monday, 1 in 7 people on Earth used Facebook to connect with their friends and family.
When we talk about our financials, we use average numbers, but this is different. This was the first time we reached this milestone, and it's just the beginning of connecting the whole world.
I'm so proud of our community for the progress we've made. Our community stands for giving every person a voice, for promoting understanding and for including everyone in the opportunities of our modern world.
A more open and connected world is a better world. It brings stronger relationships with those you love, a stronger economy with more opportunities, and a stronger society that reflects all of our values.
Thank you for being part of our community and for everything you've done to help us reach this milestone. I’m looking forward to seeing what we accomplish together."
Source:  Facebook post by Mark Zuckerberg, 27th August 2015

Wednesday 26 August 2015

Nearly 70% of people opposed to the BBC licence fee changed their minds after being deprived of the service

"More than two-thirds of those originally opposed to paying the £145.50 licence fee changed their minds after being cut off from BBC services for a nine-day period, according to a study commissioned by the corporation.
Seventy families across the country agreed to have their access to the BBC’s television, radio and online services suspended, as part of a “deprivation study” designed to test the reactions of those who said they would prefer not to pay the licence fee.
Of the seventy households, 48 had initially said that they would prefer either to pay no licence fee and have no BBC access, or pay a reduced licence fee. After nine days without any access to the corporation, however, 33 of the 48 families, or 69 per cent, declared that they were now happy to pay.
Mike O’Donnell, a retired sales manager, and his wife, Pat, were among the families who were initially opposed to paying for the BBC. “I just thought the licence fee was another tax, and not good value for money,” said Mr O’Donnell, who admits to being a fan of EastEnders and 5 Live. “But being without the BBC was absolutely dreadful, just awful. I just didn’t realised how much we watched it.”
Many of those who took part in the trial said that they became frustrated by having to watch adverts on commercial TV channels, and the O’Donnells were no different. “The adverts just drove me nuts,” said Mr O’Donnell. “I lost track of what I was watching.”
A perceived lack of quality from the BBC’s rivals was also a common complaint. Mr O’Donnell said: “The weather on ITV is Mickey Mouse. You can tell that the person who’s reading it doesn’t understand it. Whereas when you watch it on the BBC they clearly know what they’re talking about and put the script together from the research they’ve done. It’s quite a profound difference. I now think the BBC is incredibly good value. I’d probably willingly pay even more. I’m actually quite a good ambassador for the BBC now.”
The BBC commissioned the study to dig deeper into existing research that suggests that around 30 per cent of people are opposed to paying the licence fee. It would appear to confirm suspicions held at a high level in the corporation that many viewers do not realise how much they depend on the broadcaster’s output."

Early Metrics for Advertising on Instagram

"Instagram has launched advertising in 6 markets including US, Canada, UK, France, Germany and Australia. Our early advertising index shows a global CPM of $6.29 (USD). While this is a very early indicator (and about 90% higher than Facebook’s overall global CPM in Q1), it does point to a brand’s value of Instagram as a premium channel to engage with customers. The CPC for these ads is is $0.42 which is only two cents higher than all Facebook ads.
Overall available ad impressions on Instagram is a lot lower than Facebook and carefully managed and tested by Instagram to continue an optimal user experience. However with 40% of all Instagram engagement being one way (i.e. consumers following brands), there is clearly an appetite from the Instagram audience to engage with high quality content."

Tuesday 25 August 2015

Load times for news sites, with and without the Crystal mobile ad blocker



Source:  Blog post from Crystal ad blocker company MurphyApps, 22nd August 2015
Note - this ad blocker will work on the Safari browser with iOS9, due for release in September 2015

Monday 24 August 2015

Facebook drives more traffic to news sites than Google



Source:  Data from Parse.ly, reported by Fortune, 18th August 2015
Note - "[Parse.ly]'s clients include more than 400 major news and media outlets, including traditional publishers such as Wired, The Atlantic, Reuters and The Daily Telegraph, as well as a large group of digital-only outlets such as Mashable, The Next Web, and Business Insider. Collectively, the network accounts for about 6 billion pageviews and more than one billion unique visitors per month."

The top messaging apps, 2015



Source:  Bloomberg Business, 13th August 2015

More than 21m pictures have been created with Disney's Show Your Disney Side app

"Walt Disney World has introduced a number of new characters to its photo-generator application following a successful earlier launch with more than 21 million images created, in a move to increase engagement and further encourage fans to have fun with the brand.
The Show Your Disney Side app boasts a substantial amount of use with Disney fans, maximizing engagement and positive brand sentiment. Many of the millions of photos created were shared throughout social channels, which furthers a genuine fan-connection even more."
Source:  Mobile Marketer, 18th August 2015

Time spent on social network on smartphones in the US is growing



Source:  Data from comScore, reported in a blogpost, 12th August 2015

25% of smartphones shipped in India are locally made

"Smartphone shipments in India grew by 24.8% Q-o-Q during the April-June 2015 at 24.41 million units according CMR Research. The biggest standout in the report was the growing share of locally manufactured/assembled mobile handsets which went up to 24.8% during Q2 from 19.9% during Q1 2015. This is expected to further rise with the long list of device vendors now exploring local manufacturing. Xiaomi recently launched its first made-in-India smartphone, the Redmi 2 Prime while Chinese rival Lenovo with daughter brand Motorola are too looking at beginning manufacturing in the country. Chinese brands contribution to smartphone sales in India grew by 97% year-on-year during Q2 2015 against 48% for Indian brands. Still, Samsung continued to lead the mobile device market with a 20.6% share, Micromax took the 2nd spot which Intex took 3rd place."
Source:  Next Big What, 20th August 2015

Digital, social & Mobile in China in 2015


The New York Times has over a million paying digital subscribers

"The New York Times Company announced today that as of Thursday, July 30, it had passed the one million paid digital-only subscriber mark, less than four-and-a-half years after launching its pay model. This number is in addition to its 1.1 million print-and-digital subscribers.
In making the announcement, Mark Thompson, president and chief executive officer of The New York Times Company, said, “This is a major milestone for our digital consumer business, which we launched in 2011 and has continued a strong and steady growth trajectory. It puts us in a unique position among global news providers. We believe that no other news organization has achieved digital subscriber numbers like ours or comparable digital subscription revenue. It’s a tribute to the hard work and innovation of our marketing, product and technology teams and the continued excellence of our journalism.”"

Major record labels 'are paying up to $10,000 for tracks to appear on popular Spotify playlists'

"Pay for play “is definitely ­happening,” claims a major-label marketing executive, one of several who say that popular playlists can and have been bought. Glass is less assertive: “I’ve heard scuttlebutt about it, but I don’t have concrete evidence.”
According to a source, the price can range from $2,000 for a playlist with tens of thousands of fans to $10,000 for the more well-followed playlists. And these practices are not illegal, although it would be difficult to find an official policy in the fine print. "For a while, Spotify didn't take a view" on such tactics, says one major label executive. But the company has taken a stand against commercializing accounts and playlists by rank-and-file users. In a statement to Billboard, Spotify head of communications Jonathan Prince says its new terms of service, hitting the United States next week, prohibit selling accounts and playlists or “accepting any ­compensation, financial or otherwise, to influence ... the content included on an account or playlist.”
Yet policing, let alone enforcing, these terms could be difficult. Spotify can investigate when allegations arise, and in the case of violations, delete a playlist or remove the user from the service. But there are loopholes. DigMark, for example, believes it operates within Spotify’s rules because it pays a small amount -- typically $100 to $150 -- to tastemakers on a “consultancy” basis, not for placement of specific songs, according to a UMG source with knowledge of the business. The payment is meant to ensure that the playlist creator hears and considers DigMark clients’ music. (Frank would not comment.)"

Tuesday 18 August 2015

'Keyless' car theft accounts for 42% of all vehicle thefts in London

"Thousands of cars from a host of manufacturers have spent years at risk of electronic car-hacking, according to expert research that Volkswagen has spent two years trying to suppress in the courts.
“Keyless” car theft, which sees hackers target vulnerabilities in electronic locks and immobilizers, now accounts for 42 percent of stolen vehicles in London. BMWs and Range Rovers are particularly at-risk, police say, and can be in the hands of a technically minded criminal within 60 seconds.
Security researchers have now discovered a similar vulnerability in keyless vehicles made by several carmakers. The weakness – which affects the Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) transponder chip used in immobilizers – was discovered in 2012, but carmakers sued the researchers to prevent them from publishing their findings."
Source:  Bloomberg, 14th August 2015

Nearly half the smartphones shipped in India cost under $100

"While both China and India offer a huge consumer base, there are few differences between the two markets including:
In the latest quarter, almost one-fifth of the smartphones sold in China were sub-US$100, while in India almost 50% of all smartphones shipped during the same period were in this price segment;
Apple has 19 Apple Stores in China at present, whereas India doesn’t have an Apple Store;
The high-end Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge had a small contribution to the total Samsung smartphone sales in India, but a considerably larger contribution in China;
Unlike China, we don’t expect the Indian consumer to make a quick switch to the smartphone, and vendors should keep in mind that they are here for the long haul."
Source:  Press release from IDC, 11th August 2015

There are over 24,000 different Android devices in use

24,093 Distinct Android devices seen this year
18,796 Distinct Android devices seen last year
682,000 Devices surveyed for this report
37.8% Samsung's share of those devices
1,294 Device brands seen this year
Source:  Android Fragmentation Report from OpenSignal, August 2015

Apple Music gained 11m subscribers in the first month

"One month after unveiling its new streaming-music service, Apple has locked in 11 million trial members, company executives told USA TODAY.
"We're thrilled with the numbers so far," says Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services, adding that of that sum, 2 million have opted for the more lucrative family plan at $14.99 a month for up to six people."

Global mobile ad spend grew to €24bn in 2014


Source:  Report from IAB Europe & IHS, August 2015
Download the full report here

75% of American smart thermostat users say that it has reduced their electricity bills

"The Market for Smart Thermostats, new energy research from Parks Associates, finds smart thermostats are among the strongest categories of smart home devices, with more than 10% of U.S. broadband households planning to buy a smart thermostat over the next 12 months. Nearly 75% of current owners report that this device has reduced their electricity bill."

Periscope has 10m active monthly users

"Twitter’s live-streaming video app Periscope has crossed the 10 active accounts milestone on Android and iOS.
The company said it reached that number just four months after its launch but more impressively, users are collectively watching 40 years worth of content on a daily basis.
The metrics are only for Android and iOS versions of the app and the company hasn’t even included web streams in the count."
Full Periscope usage report here
Also - Over 1,300 copyright take-down requests
MAUs

Tesla loses over $4,000 on every Model S it sells

"All-electric carmaker Tesla is losing over $4,000 on every Model S it sells and reported an operational loss of $359 million during the Apr-Jun quarter.
The company also lowered its production targets to 50,000 units from 55,000 units for the next year as company expects hurdles in moving from producing just one model to two.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, said that he is considering the option of raising capital and selling more stock, promising investors that by the first quarter of 2016 the company will be making enough money to make the jump from producing one low volume car to multiple mass production models.
Tesla’s shares fell by almost 9% on Thursday and a further 2% on Friday as investors and analysts tallied the risk of Musk’s grand plans."

Mobile accounts for more than 50% of Alibaba's Chinese sales

"More than half of all revenue generated in China for Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. came from mobile devices during its most recent quarter.
The e-commerce giant reported revenue generated from mobile devices of 7.987 billion yuan ($1.250 billion), a figure that represents 50.8% of the company’s overall revenue generated by its China commerce retail business of 15.712 billion yuan ($2.459 billion) during the quarter. Mobile sales for the quarter also represent growth of 225.5% from 2.454 billion yuan ($384.032 million) during the same period last year. Mobile accounted for 39.5% of Alibaba’s overall 20.245 billion yuan ($3.168 billion) during the quarter."

WeChat has 600m monthly active users


Source:  Tech in Asia, 12th August, 2015
MAUs

BuzzFeed is making up to 75 viral video clips a week

"BuzzFeed's video unit is now whipping out up to 75 original clips a week from a 4-acre lot near Sunset and Vine where a Big Lots store and a yoga studio used to sit.
BuzzFeed is cheap and fast, Frank said, because his staff can write, shoot, edit, produce and even star in their own creations. Videos, start to finish, tend to take less than a week to make.
The result: viral hits such as "If Disney Princes Were Real," with 38 million views and counting on YouTube, and "14 Sex Facts You Won't Believe Are True," viewed more than 17 million times on YouTube."
Source:  LA Times, 8th August 2015

The Mopub Ad Marketplace Report Q2 2015


6,000,000 'Straight Outta Somewhere' pictures have been shared online

"During the past two weeks, leading up to today's Aug. 14 release of Straight Outta Compton, he got his answer: The efforts of the four companies resulted in several attention-getting plays: When UFC champ Ronda Rousey knocked out Bethe Correia in 34 seconds on Aug. 1, the Straight Outta Compton label was right below her on the mat; there was an ad for the film that played during the first Republican presidential debate on Aug. 6; the "Straight Outta Somewhere" meme went viral with nearly 6 million personalized labels being shared on the Internet; and the word "Compton" was literally painted over the skies of Los Angeles."

Monday 17 August 2015

Men spend more time using laptops; women spend more time using mobiles



Source:  Ofcom's Communications Market Report, August 2015
Full report here
All charts here

Household ownership of connected devices in the UK in 2015


Source:  Ofcom's Communications Market Report, August 2015
Full report here
All charts here

Listening time by age in the UK in 2015


Source:  Ofcom's Communications Market Report, August 2015
Full report here
All charts here

Frequency of taking selfies by photo takers in the UK, 2015


Source:  Ofcom's Communications Market Report, August 2015
Full report here
All charts here

Social networks used by 12-15 year olds in the UK in 2015



Source:  Ofcom's Communications Market Report, August 2015
Full report here
All charts here

UK time spent online by access device, 2015



Source:  Ofcom's Communications Market Report, August 2015
Full report here
All charts here

UK mobile app usage by type, by age of user


Source:  Ofcom's Communications Market Report, August 2015
Full report here
All charts here

Most VOIP calls now happen on mobile


Source:  Ofcom's Communications Market Report, August 2015
Full report here
All charts here

The interval between waking and looking at phone, and looking at phone and sleeping



Source:  Ofcom's Communications Market Report, August 2015
Full report here
All charts here

Smart TV ownership in the UK, 2013 - 2015



Source:  Ofcom's Communications Market Report, August 2015
Full report here
All charts here

Smartphone ownership in the UK by age, 2012 - 2015



Source:  Ofcom's Communications Market Report, August 2015
Full report here
All charts here

Daily viewing of short-form video clips by age in the UK, 2015


Source:  Ofcom's Communications Market Report, August 2015
Full report here
All charts here

Take-up of Netflix, Amazon Prime and NowTV in the UK 2014-5


Source:  Ofcom's Communications Market Report, August 2015
Full report here
All charts here

Average time spent watching TV - Live & Time-shifted - in the UK 2006-2014


Source:  Ofcom's Communications Market Report, August 2015
Full report here
All charts here

Average time spent on media in the UK in 2015


Source:  Ofcom's Communications Market Report, August 2015
Full report here
All charts here

Most missed media by age in the UK in 2015



Source:  Ofcom's Communications Market Report, August 2015
Full report here
All charts here

Device Ownership by UK Households 2015



Source:  Ofcom's Communications Market Report, August 2015
Full report here
All charts here

Tuesday 4 August 2015

BT has 1.2m TV customers in the UK

"In reporting its Q1 results, BT has revealed that it added 60,000 TV customers in the quarter, bringing its total to 1.2 million.
BT Sport average daily audience figures increased 51 per cent, which the telco said was its best performance since launch, reflecting the improvements it had made to the BT TV offering."

Just Eat has 11m active users



Source:  Business Insider, 4th August 2015
Note - it's not just UK - Just Eat now operates in 13 markets

235m TVs were sold in 2014

"According to the worldwide TV market report from Futuresource Consulting, 4K TV shipments are expected to grow by 147 per cent in 2015, despite an overall 2 per cent fall in TV sales.
Global TV sales rose in 2014 by 3 per cent to reach 235 million units, with trade value up to $94 billion. The TV market landscape remains varied across the globe, with some regions, such as Latin America, experiencing significant growth, caused by the Brazilian World Cup and the start of analogue switch-offs in the region, which are set to continue beyond the forecast period. Europe, too, enjoyed 3 per cent growth. APAC, however, saw declines during 2014 but remained the largest region for TV demand, accounting for 37 per cent of shipments. With saturation in many countries within the region relatively low, Futuresource expects growth to return in the coming years."

US paid video streaming service churn rates



Source:  Parks Associates, 30th July 2015
Netflix, Amazon, Churn, Hulu

UK Ad Spend by Medium, 2014


Source:  Data from the Advertising Association & Warc, published by Mediatel, 28th July 2015

Monday 3 August 2015

Amazon reportedly paid around $7m per episode for Top Gear

"Fans of the British car show "Top Gear" rejoiced earlier this week when news broke that its three hosts have a new TV show on way after inking a deal with Amazon, which plans to let members of its Prime shopping club stream for free.
Amazon reportedly paid a whopping $250 million for three years of global rights on the new series, winning the show despite competition from ITV and Netflix.
That's about $7 million per episode, but analysts are calling it a big win for the ecommerce company."