YouTuber Zoella has 14.3m video views & 84m minutes of watch time a month

"14.3 million average video views monthly
Over 5.8 million subscribers
83.6 million minutes average watch-time monthly"
Source:  Case study from YouTube, January 2014
Note - I'm guessing that it's much higher now

35% of Malaysian internet users only access via Smartpnones

Source:  Data from Taylor Nelson Sofres and Google, reported in a blog post, 28th October 2014
Explore the data at http://www.consumerbarometer.com/

Facebook's revenue by segment, Q3 2014

Source:  Business Insider, 28th October 2014

Facebook had 456m mobile-only MAUs in Q4 2014

Source: Q3 2014 Earnings Charts from Facebook, 28th October 2014

Facebook has 1.35bn MAUs and 1.12bn mobile MAUs

"Third Quarter 2014 Operational Highlights
Daily active users (DAUs) were 864 million on average for September 2014, an increase of 19% year-over-year.
Mobile DAUs were 703 million on average for September 2014, an increase of 39% year-over-year.
Monthly active users (MAUs) were 1.35 billion as of September 30, 2014, an increase of 14% year-over-year.
Mobile MAUs were 1.12 billion as of September 30, 2014, an increase of 29% year-over-year.
Third Quarter 2014 Financial Highlights
Revenue - Revenue for the third quarter of 2014 totaled $3.20 billion, an increase of 59%, compared with $2.02 billion in the third quarter of 2013. Excluding the impact of year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates, revenue would have increased by 58%.
Revenue from advertising was $2.96 billion, a 64% increase from the same quarter last year. Excluding the impact of year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates, revenue from advertising would have increased by 63%.
Mobile advertising revenue represented approximately 66% of advertising revenue for the third quarter of 2014, up from approximately 49% of advertising revenue in the third quarter of 2013.
Payments and other fees revenue was $246 million, a 13% increase from the same quarter last year.
Costs and expenses - GAAP costs and expenses for the third quarter of 2014 were $1.81 billion, an increase of 41% from the third quarter of 2013. Non-GAAP information for 2013 has been updated to exclude amortization of intangible assets to conform to our current period presentation. Excluding amortization of intangible assets, share-based compensation and related payroll tax expenses, non-GAAP costs and expenses were $1.38 billion in the third quarter of 2014, up 39% compared to $992 million for the third quarter of 2013.
Income from operations - GAAP income from operations for the third quarter of 2014 was $1.40 billion, up 90% compared to $736 million in the third quarter of 2013. Excluding amortization of intangible assets, share-based compensation and related payroll tax expenses, non-GAAP income from operations for the third quarter of 2014 was $1.82 billion, up 78% compared to $1.02 billion for the third quarter of 2013.
Operating margin - GAAP operating margin was 44% for the third quarter of 2014, compared to 37% in the third quarter of 2013. Excluding amortization of intangible assets, share-based compensation and related payroll tax expenses, non-GAAP operating margin was 57% for the third quarter of 2014, compared to 51% for the third quarter of 2013."

Source:  Facebook's Q3 earnings statement 2014, 28th October 2014

Earlier - 1.32bn & 1.07bn in Q2

Twitter had 284m MAUs, and 227m mobile MAUs in Q3 2014

"Third Quarter 2014 Operational Highlights
Average Monthly Active Users (MAUs) were 284 million for the third quarter, an increase of 23% year-over-year.
Average Mobile MAUs represented around 80% of total MAUs.
Timeline views reached 181 billion for the third quarter of 2014, an increase of 14% year-over-year.
Advertising revenue per thousand timeline views reached $1.77 in the third quarter of 2014, an increase of 83% year-over-year.
Revenue - Revenue for the third quarter of 2014 totaled $361 million, an increase of 114% compared to $169 million in the same period last year.
Advertising revenue totaled $320 million, an increase of 109% year-over-year.
Mobile advertising revenue was 85% of total advertising revenue.
Data licensing and other revenue totaled $41 million, an increase of 171% year-over-year.
International revenue totaled $121 million, an increase of 176% year-over-year.
International revenue was 34% of total revenue.
Net loss - GAAP net loss was $175 million for the third quarter of 2014 compared to a GAAP net loss of $65 million in the same period last year. GAAP net loss for the third quarter of 2014 included $170 million of stock-based compensation expense."
Source:  Twitter's Q3 2014 results, 27th October 2014
Earlier - 271m & 211m in Q2 2014

Music sales through iTunes 'have fallen by 13% in 2014'

"The music industry continues to evolve, but some bad news is reported by THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, which writes, "the growing availability of cheap music—from free videos and streams to $10-a-month unlimited subscription plans—is sapping demand for digital downloads at the world’s biggest seller of music, APPLE INC. Music sales at APPLE’s iTUNES STORE have fallen 13% to 14% world-wide since the start of the year, according to people familiar with the matter. The decline is stark compared with a much shallower dip last year. Global revenue from downloads fell 2.1% in 2013, according to the INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE PHONOGRAPHIC INDUSTRY."

Source:  All Access Music Group, 27th October 2014

Smartphone ownership overtakes non-smartphone ownership at age 9 for UK kids

Source:  Ofcom's Children & Parents:  Media Uses & Attitudes Report, October 2014

Amazon made a $170m write-down in Q3 2014 mainly relating to poor Fire phone sales

"Amazon said in a conference call following the release of a disappointing third-quarter financial report that it would take a $170 million charge “primarily related to Fire phone inventory valuation and supplier commitment costs.” Translation: The Fire phone has been a disappointment."

Source:  ReCode, 23rd October 2014

Mobile accounted for 23% of US digital ad spend

"Internet ad revenues climbed to an historic first half-year high of $23.1 billion, according to the IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report released today by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and prepared by PwC US. This marks a 15 percent rise over 2013’s first-half ad revenues of $20.1 billion.
Maintaining the positive trajectory, second quarter 2014 internet ad revenues rose to $11.7 billion, representing a 14 percent year-over-year increase, up from $10.3 billion in Q2 2013.
Highlights of the report include:
Mobile revenues increased 76 percent to 5.3 billion at HY 2014, from the $3.0 billion (15% of total) reported at HY 2013, with the 2014 six month total consisting of $2.7 billion mobile search, $2.5 billion mobile display, and $103 million in other mobile formats
Digital video, a component of display-related advertising, reached $1.5 billion, a 13 percent increase in revenue over the first half of 2013 at $1.3 billion
Search revenues in the first half of 2014 hit $9.1 billion, up 4 percent from $8.7 billion in the first six months of 2013
Display-related advertising revenues in the first half of 2014 totaled $6.5 billion, a 6 percent uptick from $6.1 billion in the first half of 2013, and accounted for 28 percent of digital advertising revenue overall
Social media revenues, which includes advertising delivered on social platforms, including social networking and social gaming websites and apps, reached $2.9 billion in HY 2014, a double-digital hike of 58 percent over the same period in 2013, at $1.9 billion
The top three advertising verticals continue to account for nearly half of advertising revenue (46%), including Retail at 21 percent, Financial Services at 13 percent and Automotive at 12 percent
“This report confirms the fact that brands are deepening their commitment to interactive advertising, and that mobile is seen as a crucial part of the marketing mix,” said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO, IAB. “Moreover, with second half revenues traditionally surpassing those in the first half of the year, this milestone achievement is potentially a harbinger of even stronger digital ad revenues to come.”
“Mobile’s continued rise speaks to consumers’ increasing reliance on smartphones and tablets, whether on-the-go or at home,” said David Silverman, a partner at PwC US. “And, digital video too is seeing gains that reflect a new ‘viewing’ paradigm that is taking place on interactive screens, big and small.”
“Consumers living online is no longer the exception—It is the rule,” said Sherrill Mane, Senior Vice President, Research, Analytics and Measurement, IAB. “Digital screens have become vital tools at every juncture of the day. It is no surprise that brand dollars have followed this growing movement at a steady clip.”
Source:  IAB/PwC, 20th October 2014
Full report here

'Non linear' video accounts for nearly half of all video watched in US broadband homes

"New research from Parks Associates shows the average U.S. broadband household now watches more than 17 hours of non-linear video per week, compared to 11.5 hours of linear video. The research firm will examine the market for OTT services and streaming media devices at CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES, January 6, during the session "Streaming Media Devices in the Video Ecosystem," featuring executives from NETGEAR, TiVo, Roku, Comcast, AT&T, and Amazon.
"Non-linear video accounts for 49% of the video consumed on the TV, and it is already the majority, 60%, of TV video viewed by consumers 18-24," said Barbara Kraus, Director of Research, Parks Associates. "Growing consumer demand, alongside new OTT service announcements from HBO and CBS, is driving all players in the video ecosystem to add streaming capabilities to their devices. Our streaming-media session at CONNECTIONS™ Summit will examine the expanding role of devices with streaming capabilities and the future balance of linear versus non-linear video viewing among connected consumers."
Parks Associates research shows consumers are also using connected CE for purposes outside video. Nearly 40% of U.S. broadband households that use the smart TV as their primary connected device regularly access and spend at least one hour per week using Facebook on this device."

Source:  Press release from Parks Associates, 23rd October 2014

iPhone & iPad users use an average of 7.3 apps in a month

"360 View:Mobility and the App Economy finds the Android ecosystem is larger in terms of users but that Apple's iOS ecosystem is more robust for app usage and expenditure.
The average iPhone user uses 7.3 apps on a monthly basis, compared to 6.2 apps for the average Android phone user.
iPhone and iPad owners use, on average, one more app per month than Android phone and tablet users, even though both segments download roughly the same number of apps per month.
iOS users also spend more, with 22% of iPad owners and 23% of iPhone owners spending $1 or more per month on apps. These differences in expenditure are a natural extension of higher incomes among iOS users.
4% of U.S. broadband households use both an iPhone and an iPad; 15% use both an Android phone and an Android tablet; 11% use one Android device and one iOS device.
70% of U.S. broadband households with a household income of $100,000 or more own both a tablet and a smartphone."

Source:  Press release from Parks Associates, 15th October 2014

55% of American teen smartphone users use voice search every day

"A Google study of voice-search habits among United States smartphone users across different age ranges contains lessons for marketers who fail to give the personal nature of mobile its due, leading to misinformed definitions of success.
The Mobile Voice Study by the Mountain View, CA, provider of search, online-advertising technologies and other Internet products and services found that 55 percent of teens aged 13-18 use voice search every day, while 56 percent of adults said using voice search makes them feel tech-savvy. The study points to the importance of marketers understanding that mobile - especially with voice search - is a much more personal experience for people, and often they are not looking to immediately make that easily measurable conversion that informs budget planning and tends to define marketing success."

Source:  Mobile Marketer, 15th October 2014

Facebook now has more desktop video views in the US than YouTube

Source:  Data from comSCore, reported by MarketingLand, 14th October 2014

Impact of the mobile internet in Africa vs UK

Impact of the mobile internet in Africa vs UK from On Device Research

Quinoa features in 540,000 posts on Instagram

"Increasingly our food choices are being influenced by social media, with millions now using Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to share food photos, blog posts and recipes (quinoa features in 540,000 posts on Instagram alone), and food trends can spread instantly.
‘Because of social media, people are very aware of what’s in products,’ says Gordon McDermott, Course Manager at The Waitrose Cookery School, ‘and they’re learning more about ingredients.’
Waitrose is part of this online food revolution. In 2014, Twitter followers of @Waitrose have risen by three-quarters, while our Facebook ‘likes’ have increased by over 50%. We attracted thousands of Instagram followers within weeks of joining in the summer.
In July, for the first time, the number of customers getting in touch with us through social media overtook the number sending emails for the first time.
The most popular Waitrose-related topics on Twitter and Facebook include Heston, gluten-free, cheese, Mother’s Day and coffee."

Source:  Waitrose Food Report, October 2014

How consumers form impressions of brands

Source:  The Society For New Communications Research, reported by MediaPost, 9th October 2014

The State of Bitcoin Q3 2014

State of Bitcoin Q3 2014 from CoinDesk

43% of UK viewers in Virgin TiVo homes mostly watch time-shifted TV

"The latest study and statistics from Virgin Media have revealed technology is transforming the way the nation watches television.
Data from over 2.3 million Virgin Media TiVo® set-top boxes shows a fifth of all TV is now watched in a time-shifted format; either first recorded onto the hard drive of a set-top box or else watched on demand. This was not even possible twelve years ago before the first personal video recorders or cable television’s introduction of video on demand by a precursor to Virgin Media. Virgin Media customers already watch over one billion programmes on demand each year.
According to the latest study by Virgin Media, almost half (43%) of people mostly watch time-shifted TV, with 20% tuning in to live TV only for must-see moments. Just 30% predominantly watch live TV.
Growth in the popularity of time-shifted TV has been driven by a boom in series stacking and the availability of entire Box Sets on demand, allowing people to watch multiple episodes of TV series back-to-back. One in ten says they dedicate all their viewing time to a single series at a time, with 40% switching between different series depending on their mood.
Data from Virgin Media reveals recorded TV series and one-off shows are typically watched within 14 days after having been broadcast, while movies are often kept for longer and enjoyed on a weekend.
Second-screen trending
Over a third (34%) of people are using second screens while watching TV. 78% of these multi-taskers are typically checking and updating social media sites.
Virgin Media data shows customers are being influenced by social media recommendations. They are quick to set up a series link when a show trends online, giving rise to a surge in ‘reflex recording’. Online buzz around season premieres of popular shows like The Great British Bake Off and Dynamo spark the biggest surges in setting up automatic recordings for entire series on Virgin Media TiVo.
Virgin Media data also suggests people are also using their smartphones, tablets and computers to avoid telly-viewing conflicts, with sports content often getting relegated second screens when there’s a big match on. On the last day of the Premier League this year, Virgin Media saw a 38% increase in the use of Virgin TV Anywhere, the most comprehensive streaming service in the country, as viewers tuned in to watch the final."

Source:  Data from Virgin Media, reported on their blog, 9th October 2014

1 in 3 UK children has their own tablet

"One in three children in the UK now has their own tablet computer, which has nearly doubled in a year, new Ofcom research finds.
Among children aged between 5 and 15, 34% now have their own tablet, rather than using devices belonging to their parents or school, up from a fifth (19%) in 2013.
Six in ten (62%) children use a tablet at home, which has risen by half in a year (42% in 2013).
A sharp increase in tablet ownership among very young children means that some are using one to surf the web, play games and watch video clips before they join school. More than one in 10 children aged 3-4 now have their own tablet (11%, up from 3% in 2013).
Twice as many children aged 5-15 are using a tablet to go online (42% versus 23% in 2013), which could have implications in future use of laptops and PCs. For the first time, the proportion of children accessing the internet on a PC, laptop or netbook fell, by three percentage points, year on year, to 88%.
These trends are highlighted in Ofcom's annual Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report, which examines children's use of different media and communications, and the role parents play in overseeing them."

Source:  Data from Ofcom, 9th October 2014

Line has 170m monthly active users

"After unveiling a series of new features that drastically expand its reach, today Line revealed a series of statistics regarding activity on its signature messaging app, including the number of people that use it every month.
That number? 170 million monthly active users (MAUs), out of a current count of 560 million registered users.
This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. After Japanese ecommerce giant Rakuten purchased Cyprus-based messenger Viber, the company revealed that it had 100 million monthly active users among a total user base of 280 million. Tango, after receiving US$215 million in funding from Alibaba, reported 70 million monthly active users among a total user base of 200 million."

Source:  TechInAsia, 9th October 2014

Mobile advertising accounted for 20% of total UK digital advertising in H1 2014

"Native/content advertising hits £216m – accounts for over 20% of digital display ads.
Mobile accounts for 20% of digital ad spend and 53% of social media spend.
Britons increasing appetite for watching video content on computers, tablets and mobile phones helped drive digital advertising spend up 16.6% to a record £3.5 billion in the first half of 2014 – according to the latest Internet Advertising Bureau UK Digital Adspend report, conducted by PwC.
Video advertising on the internet and mobile phones grew by 59% year-on-year to £202 million in the first half of 2014. Mobile video advertising, alone, grew 196% to £63.9 million and is now the fastest growing digital ad format.
Accompanying online YouGov data reveals 73%¹ of Britons online who own an internet-enabled device watched TV programmes online in the last six months, 72% watched short online video clips and 59% watched films online. Those watching TV online average 2 hours 35 minutes¹ a week doing so, compared to 1 hour 50 minutes for online film viewers and 51 minutes for video clip viewers.
“A third of online viewers, particularly 35-44 year olds, are watching more TV, films and clips online than a year ago. Consequently, video now accounts for £1 in every £5 spent on internet and mobile display ads,” says Tim Elkington, Chief Strategy Officer at the UK’s Internet Advertising Bureau. “Average weekly viewing online amounts to 25 videos, 4-5 TV episodes and one film but what's most interesting is that watching video on connected devices is becoming an increasingly social activity, like traditional TV. Half of people watching TV, films or video clips online do so with family members and three in ten watch with friends."
Device owners in Scotland are the most likely to watch TV (78%)¹, films (66%) and video clips (82%) online. However, among online TV and film viewers, those in London average the most time online watching TV (3 hours 6 minutes per week) and films (2 hrs 27 mins) each week. Among video clip viewers, people in the south average the most time (1 hr 2 mins).
Total digital, native, social and tablet
Advertising on the internet and mobile phones overall increased, like-for-like², by 16.6% or £467 million to £3.46 billion in the first half of 2014 – up from £3.0 billion in the first half of 2013.
Content and “native” advertising³ spend – which includes paid for sponsorships, advertisement features and in-feed distribution – hit £216 million, accounting for 21% of digital display advertising.
Social media ad spend grew 73% to £396.0 million, with 53% (£209.7 million) allocated to mobile.
Among media owners who submitted revenue figures to the IAB/PwC, tablet-dedicated advertising⁴ grew 160% to reach £29.0 million; up from £10.5 million.
Mobile ad spend up 68%; accounts for one-fifth of digital advertising
With smartphones accounting for over three quarters (76%)⁵ of handsets, mobile advertising grew 68% from £429.2 million to £707.1 million in the first half of 2014. Mobile now accounts for 20% of all digital advertising spend – up from 14% in the first half of 2013.
“Mobile’s share of the digital ad pie has tripled in two years, accounting for a fifth of total spend – rising to nearly a third of display and over half of social media ads,” says Dan Bunyan, Manager at PwC. “As 4G becomes more prevalent and phone screens become larger, it will play an even bigger role in driving digital ad spend – particularly video.”
Consumer goods and entertainment dominate mobile display advertising
Consumer goods advertisers spent the most on digital display advertising, overall, accounting for 16% share in the first half of 2014, followed by travel & transport (15%) and finance advertisers (13%). Consumer goods was also the biggest spender on mobile display ads - accounting for 23% share followed by entertainment & media (21%) and technology (12%) advertisers.
Digital advertising formats
Boosted by video and social media, display advertising across the internet and mobile grew almost twice the overall digital rate (16.6%) at 30.1% to £1.02 billion in the first half of 2014.
With mobile display growing by 116% to £315.7 million, mobile now accounts for 31% of total digital display advertising.
Paid-for search marketing increased 11.3% to £1.92 billion in the first half of 2014.
Classifieds including recruitment, property and automotive listings, grew 14.4% to £493.5 million – accounting for 14% of digital ad spend."

Source:  Data from the IAB & PwC, reported in a press release, 8th October 2014
Earlier - Full year 2013 press release - mobile was 16% of digital ad spend

5% of people who click on a YPlan mobile app ad in Facebook buy tickets

"In addition to helping YPlan acquire new customers, Facebook mobile app ads are part of YPlan’s full customer lifecycle. Mobile app ads for engagement and conversion have proven to be an excellent way for YPlan to interact with their existing customers and app users by engaging with them with specific and relevant events.
1 in 20 people that click on a mobile app engagement ad purchase an event and YPlan has seen a 20% increase in paid bookings through mobile app engagement ads. Thanks to mobile app ads, YPlan has seen a 215% return on investment for engagement ads.
The YPlan team works with many event planners, so it suggests different events to specific audience segments. For instance, if a Beyonce concert is coming up, YPlan targets her fans with its advertising, getting improved cost-per-click results."
Source:  Facebook's Developer Showcase, retrieved 7th October 2014

Ford sold 29,000 cars in the US in 2013 through its mobile site

"Forty percent of Ford’s Web traffic comes from mobile. Mr. Farley said that much of it comes from prospective buyers walking car lots after hours. Further, he said that
29,000 cars were sold last year through the mobile Web site.
Mr. Farley said that the big opportunity resides in our ability to “talk to each customer.” But he warned the audience members that with that comes “a higher burden and standard of excellence for marketers.”"

Source:  Mobile Marketer, 3rd October 2014

More than 100,000 Xbox One consoles were sold in the first day in China

"After a brief delay, Microsoft’s Xbox One game console launched in China this week, becoming the first game console to be officially sold in the Middle Kingdom in over a decade. And according to Chinese gaming news site 17173, the console had a pretty good first day, selling more than 100,000 units.
That number includes preordered units, of course, so the device won’t continue to sell at anything close to that rate, but it’s still a fairly impressive debut given the weak lineup of games available and the other restrictions placed on the Chinese version of the console."

Source:  Tech in Asia, 3rd October 2014

More than half a billion connected TV devices are in use around the world

"Worldwide ownership of Connected TV Devices (including smart TVs, smart Blu-ray players, IP-enabled game consoles and digital media streamers) grew 7 per cent quarter-on-quarter in Q2 2014 and 34 per cent versus the same period in 2013 to reach 500 million units. The growing demand for devices that facilitate the streaming of online video to the large screen TV is creating a highly competitive environment with no fewer than 16 major technology brands accounting for 90 percent of devices in use according to Strategy Analytics’ Connected Home Devices (CHD) service report, Global Connected TV Device Tracker: Q2 2014.
Other key findings from the report include:
One in four Connected TV Devices installed in homes around the world is a Sony branded product while the combined footprint of Sony, Samsung, Nintendo and Microsoft accounts for 60 per cent of all devices in use.
Samsung enjoyed the highest unit increase to its installed base of Connected TV Devices during the quarter while Google’s Connected TV Device footprint grew faster than any other brand from Q1 to Q2 2014.
Apple remained the leading brand within the global Digital Media Streamer market in Q2 2014 although its share dropped to under 30 per cent for the first time in the face of competition from Google’s Chromecast, Amazon’s Fire TV and Roku."

Source:  Data from Strategy Analytics, reported by Advanced Television, 3rd October 2014

More than 40% of broadband homes in Germany and Spain have a Smart TV device

Source:  Data from Parks Associates, reported in a press release, 30th September 2014
Note - it seems that ChromeCast and other similar devices are included in the definition of 'Smart TV'

Messaging App Usage in the US

Source:  Data from Parks Associates, reported in a press release, 2nd October 2014

Facebook use in Africa

"The Meteoric Growth of Social Media: Over five years Facebook has grown from practically no users in Sub-Saharan Africa to become the most widely used social media platform. In the four countries where face-to-face surveys were carried out for this research, between 14% (Tanzania) and 27% (Ghana) of all respondents were using it, a significant number on basic phones using SMS. Facebook is the dominant platform although there are interesting local variations. All forms of social media serve as a source of news and information alongside more traditional media. People “like” news media  (newspapers, radio and TV stations) on Facebook to get information and receive similar “news” or “research” alerts from friends and colleagues."
Source:  Data from Balancing Act, reported by them on 19th September 2014
Note - Much more data in the full article
Reports:
The Sub Saharan Media Landscape
Feature Phone User Survey
Face to Face Survey - Full Results
Qualitative Research

Music drives the sale of hardware including smartphones and tablets

"A study published today by the BPI - the trade body that represents recorded music - has found that the UK obsession with music is not only helping to drive the rapid uptake of consumer technology, it is also generating huge additional demand for the latest smartphones and tablets.
UK consumers spend on average nearly a quarter more per head on music than their counterparts in other G7 countries.  This is resulting in billions of Pounds worth of additional expenditure on music-related technology products in the UK - purchases that are well above and beyond the level that would occur if per capita spend was in line with the lower G7 average.
The independent economic study models the impact that an increase in music sales has on technology purchases.  It tracks variations in spending patterns between 2008 and 2012 across G7 countries , and demonstrates that during this 5-year period the UK's relatively high consumption of music accounted for an additional £11bn in sales of technology products, broken down as:
£8.4bn additional value in the sales of smartphones;
£2.5bn additional value in the sales of tablets;
£384m additional value in the sales of mp3 players; and
£74m additional value in the sales of Integrated Audio Systems.       £11.4bn total
The data confirms that consumers in the UK spend a great deal more on music per capita than in most other developed nations.  In 2012 this averaged at nearly 25 per cent more, resulting in proportionately greater sales of consumer technology products.  The economic modelling used by the study calculates that for every 1 per cent increase in demand for music there is a corresponding 1.4 per cent lift in sales of smartphones, equivalent to £77.6m, while tablets benefit by a 2.2 per cent rise, translating to £52.6m."

Source:  Data from the BPI, reported in a press release, 2md October 2014

Facebook's digital ad share in the US is higher than it's share of time spent

"The amount of ad dollars spent on Facebook FB +0.05% is outpacing the amount of time people spend on the site, a reflection in part of Facebook’s ability to convince marketers of the power of advertising with the social network.
While 6% of U.S. adults’ digital media time is spent on Facebook, 9.7% of U.S. digital ad spending in the U.S. flows to the site, according to a new report by eMarketer. That’s not the case with the rest of the industry. For example, U.S. adults spend 7.1% of their digital-media time listening to Pandora – that’s more than Facebook – but the online music streaming service commands only 1.4% share of digital ad dollars.
There are a couple of reasons why Facebook is able to buck the trend in the rest of the industry. For one, it not only continues to add to its more than a billion users around the world, but those customers are still increasing the amount of time they hang around. Adults in the U.S. will spend an average of 21 minutes a day on Facebook this year, according to eMarketer. That’s up from 19 minutes a year ago and only six minutes in 2010. The increasing usage underscores the obvious: Facebook is incredibly popular."

Source:  WSJ, 18th September 2014

There are more female than male gamers in the UK

"Driven by 25-44 year old women downloading free puzzle and trivia game apps, there are now more women playing video games than men, according to a new report from the Internet Advertising Bureau UK (IAB) on the British game-playing audience.
The “Gaming Revolution” study, carried out by independent research agency Populus, reveals that females account for over half (52%) of people who’ve played some form of video game¹ in the last six months, compared to 49% three years ago. The gamer audience has now hit 33.5 million Britons – 69% of the population.
Not just child’s play…
The study also reveals there are now more people over 44 years old playing games (27% of gamer population) than children and teenagers (22%). Over half (56%) of people aged 45-54 have played a video game in the last six months, as have 44% of 55-64 year olds and even a third (32%) of 65-74s.
Free mobile apps driving the change
The growth in women and older gamers has been driven by free games, primarily mobile apps. Six in ten (61%) games acquired in the last six months were free. Apps are now the most popular video game format (played by 55% of the online population) followed by online games (48%) then disc-based games (40%). Over one in four (27%) people played all three formats – rising to 70% of 8-12 year olds.
Consequently, smartphones are now the most popular device for playing games, cited by 54% of respondents – a quarter of whom play on their phone every day. Then follows computers (51%), consoles (45%) and tablets (44%). The average gamer plays on three different devices.
“The internet and mobile devices have changed the gaming landscape forever,” says Steve Chester, Director of Data & Industry Programmes at the Internet Advertising Bureau. “They’ve brought down the barriers to entry, making gaming far more accessible and opened it up to a whole new audience. In the past you needed to go out and buy an expensive console and the discs on top to get a decent experience, now you can just download a free app.”
Trivia/word/puzzles are favourite genre – driven by older women
One third of respondents, overall, cite trivia/word/puzzles as their favourite game genre – compared to over half (56%) of women at least 45 years old and half of women aged 25-44. Action/adventure/ shooter games are the next favourite, cited by 18% of all respondents, rising to 45% of 16-24 year old males and 26% of men 25-44.
Time’s up
The average gamer aged 16+ spends around 11 hours gaming a week, compared to 20 hours for 8-15 year olds. 6-8pm is the most popular game-playing time.
The average Briton spends six hours per week playing games, just over 11% of their 52 hours of media consumption a week – the same share accounted for by social media and slightly less than listening to music (14%).
Looking at share of game-playing time by device², consoles account for 30% of time followed by computers (24%), smartphones (21%) and tablets (18%). Looking at share of time by format², online accounts for almost half (47%) of game time followed by apps (23%) and disc-based games (22%).
In-game advertising
Two-thirds (67%) of game-players are aware that advertising appears within some games (in-game advertising). Six in ten (61%) are happy to see ads in games if it makes them free, while a quarter (24%) think it makes games more realistic and immersive. The number of ads acceptable in a free game (1.7 every 30 minutes) is twice as high as in paid games (0.8).
Chester concludes: “Getting in-game advertising right is a very delicate skill. In-game ads can enhance the experience by adding realism or extra content – as long as they’re not interruptive and irrelevant. If they are, it can have the opposite effect and stop people playing.”"

Source:  Press release from the IAB UK, 17th September 2014

9 of the world's top 20 internet companies are Asian

Source:  Data from WSJ, quoted by Christian Hernandez on Medium, 22nd September 2014
Note - Data compiled before the Alibaba IPO

Users' time spent with apps has increased 21% year on year

"Though 20% of apps are opened only once, people are becoming more attached to apps overall. According to Localytics data, the amount of time people spend in apps has increased by 21% over the last year. People are engaging with mobile so frequently that time spent with mobile apps now exceeds time spent on traditional desktop web. Certain categories are driving this increased time spent in apps. Here is a summary of the findings:
Overall time in app has increased by 21%
Users open an app on average 11.5 times a month, up from 9.4 a year ago (22% increase), while app session length has remained constant at 5.7 minutes
Social Networking experiences strong “snacking” behavior
Music has the greatest time in app increase of 79%
Time in Health & Fitness (a key feature in the recently announced iPhone 6) and Social Networking apps increased by 51% and 49% respectively
Time in app is a function of the average session length and the average number of sessions for an app. While the length of individual app sessions has been relatively constant over the past year at 5.7 minutes, app launches have increased from 9.4 times a month to 11.5. This boost in app launches has driven a 21% increase in time in app.
People are spending more time than ever with their apps, but certain app categories show a greater increase than others.
Music apps were the big winner with a 79% increase in time spent with these apps, resulting in an increase of 64 minutes per month compared to last year. As more people shift from iTunes to music apps such as SoundCloud and iHeartRadio, the time spent in music apps has drastically increased. These apps offer greater flexibility around music genres, playlists, and radio features. Most music apps also incorporate a social component, allowing people to share their favorite playlists. These reasons could explain why music has seen such a strong time in app increase over the past year.
Health and Fitness has shown the second highest increase in time in app at 51%, for an average 22 more minutes per month spent with these apps than last year. As the hardware specs for smartphones increase, so too does their potential to act as a health device. The recently announced iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+ comes with a new Health app that continuously measures motion data (which Apple claims is especially useful for people who climb stairs!). Similar features came with the Samsung Galaxy S5 released in May, including an integrated heart rate monitor and a fitness tracker. Increasingly, health features are coming standard with smartphones, as hardware becomes more advanced and consumers demonstrate an interest in fitness tracking."
Source:  Data from Localytics, reported on their blog, 16th September 2014

Note - Original post includes lots of great charts

Alibaba shoppers spend $9,368 per second

"But if you thought Alibaba's revenue was explosive, get this: Based on estimates from The Economist charted for us by Business Insider Intelligence, Alibaba shoppers spend an average of $9,368 each second. This is an incredible feat, especially when you consider Amazon shoppers spend less than half of that value ($3,691) each second. Users on eBay, which once tried to compete with Alibaba in China, only spend about $2,775 each second. In other words, Alibaba sells a ton of stuff, and consumers feel very comfortable buying all of it."
Source:  Business Insider, 23rd September 2014