40m people have used the Apple News app

"Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed Apple News usage numbers for the first time during today's fourth quarter earnings call, announcing the service has approximately 40 million users.
Cook did not specify whether that number represented people who use the Apple News app on a regular basis or if it simply measured the number of people who have accessed the app at one point or another, so it's still difficult to gauge the popularity of Apple News."

Source:  Mac Rumors, 27th October 2015

Note - I'm very, very, very convinced that 40m is the 'ever used' number...

Google receives 3.5bn daily searches, Facebook receives 1.5bn

"Each day, Facebook handles 1.5 billion searches against the 2 trillion posts in its index. They’re still a ways off from Google’s 3.5 billion daily searches, but it’s an impressive figure nonetheless and puts Facebook right up there as far as search giants go.
Of course, Facebook is only indexing content within its own ecosystem, while Google, Bing, Yahoo and the like make much of the web’s content available to searchers."

Source:  Larry Kim on Medium, 26th October 2015

Facebook stat - Facebook, 22nd Oct 2015

Google stat - Internet Live Stats - no official figures from Google

Twitter has 320m active users

"Third Quarter 2015 Operational and Product Highlights
Monthly Active Users – Total average Monthly Active Users (MAUs) were 320 million for the third quarter, up 11% year-over-year, and compared to 316 million in the previous quarter. Excluding SMS Fast Followers, MAUs  were 307 million for the third quarter, up 8% year-over-year, and compared to 304 million in the previous quarter. Mobile MAUs represented approximately 80% of total MAUs."

Source:  Twitter's Q3 2015 results, published 27th October 2015

Note - Excluding 'SMS Fast Followers' the number is 307m

MAUs

Apple shipped 48m iPhones and 10m iPads in its Q4 2015

Source:  Apple financial docs, published 27th October 2015
Units are in thousands, revenues in millions
Note that Apple's Q4 2015 ended 26th Sept 2015

Indian ecommerce site Flipkart sold $200m worth of mobile phones in its 5 day Big Billion Days sale

"Flipkart, the country's largest online retailer and marketplace, sold more than $200 million worth of mobile phones during the five-day Big Billion Days sale, with most consumers demanding 4G-backed devices, a top executive said.
Mobile phones made up two-thirds of the $300 million worth of products purchased by consumers during the sale, which started on October 13. Flipkart sold 250 mobile phones every minute, of which 190 were 4G phones, during the five days, chief business officer said.
"Today, three of four phones, which we sell on Flipkart are 4G phones," said Nagori. "About 80 per cent of sale of mobile phones that happened during Big Billion Days were actually 4G phones. Overall, 80 per cent of the phones sold would be under Rs 10,000 range." "

Source:  Economic Times, 26th October 2015

Smart TV ownership in broadband homes in Europe

Source:  Parks Associates, 20th October 2015

About 3m people a day look at Cosmopolitan's channel on Snapchat Discover

"Most millennials probably don’t know who Helen Gurley Brown is, but the Cosmopolitan brand Brown built is resonating with the young set — on Snapchat, at least.
Cosmopolitan says it’s averaging 3 million viewers a day on Snapchat Discover, a milestone that could appeal to some advertisers who wonder whether these media channels on the messaging app are desirable places to run their spots. Cosmo, which has been a Discover partner since the service launched in January, has seen traffic go from about 1.8 million a day to 3 million viewers since the summer, according to Kate Lewis, vp and editorial director of digital at Hearst Magazines, which owns Cosmo.
When asked whether the app is worth the editorial effort, she replied: “Oh my god yes. It’s been amazing, and we have about 3 million people a day on the Discover platform.”"

Source:  Digiday, 16th October 2015

Trust in advertising in the US by demographic and format

Source:  Research by Nielsen, reported in a press release, 13th October 2015

Adele's 'Hello' received 23.2m views in 24 hours on YouTube

"The Adele video, released on Friday, surpassed 23.2 million views within the first 24 hours on YouTube.  That edges out Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood,” which reached 20.1 million within its first 24.  Other first-day heavy hitters include ‘Anaconda’ by Nicki Minaj, which cleared 19.6 million on day one.
‘Hello,’ released on YouTube subset Vevo, has already surpassed 70 million views as of Monday morning.  Incidentally, the track is also available on Spotify, and early Nielsen data suggests a record-breaking iTunes download figure as well.  Looking ahead, it remains unclear if Adele’s upcoming album, 25, due in November, will be serviced to Spotify or other streaming services.  In the case of Apple Music, a hand-in-glove relationship with streaming and downloads could complicate any withholding strategy."

Source:  Digital Music News, 26th October 2015

US digital ad spend rose 19% to $27.5bn in H1 2015

"Internet ad revenues in the United States reached a landmark high of $27.5 billion in the first half of 2015, according to the IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report released today by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and prepared by PwC US. This marks a 19 percent rise over the $23.1 billion in ad revenues for the first-half of 2014.
Accelerating the pace of already impressive growth in the half-year, 2015’s second quarter internet ad revenues rose by 22.5 percent to $14.3 billion, up from $11.7 billion in Q2 2014. This also reflects 8.5 percent growth from the first quarter of 2015.
Other highlights from the report include:
Mobile revenues climbed to $8.2 billion in HY 2015, up 54% from $5.3 billion reported at HY 2014
Mobile now represents 30% of the revenues generated by the entire internet advertising marketplace, up from 23% at HY 2014
Digital video, a component of display-related advertising, reached $2 billion in the first half of 2015, a 35% year-over-year jump from $1.5 billion in the first half of 2014
Search revenues in the first half of 2015 reached double digits, surpassing $10 billion, marking an 11% increase over the $9 billion in revenues achieved during the same period in 2014
Social media revenues – which encompass advertising delivered on social platforms including social networking, and social gaming websites and apps – reached $4.4 billion in HY 2015, a 51% hike over the same period in 2014, at $2.9 billion
The same top three advertising verticals continue to account for nearly half of advertising revenue (48%), including retail (22%), financial services (13%), and automotive (13%)
Display-related advertising revenues in the first half of 2015 totaled $6.8 billion, a 5% uptick from $6.5 billion in the first half of 2014, and accounted for 25% of digital advertising revenue overall
“Advertisers are more committed than ever to connect with audiences on digital screens,” said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO, IAB. “Content is key to winning consumer attention – on mobile, in digital video, on desktop, and more – throughout the day."
“We’re witnessing a seismic shift in consumer behavior to the always-on, connected consumer,” said David Silverman, a partner at PwC US. “As a result, we’ve seen social continue to fuel the growth of digital, particularly with respect to mobile and video.”
"Internet ad revenue growth is being driven further than ever before, as advertisers continue to invest in new ways to reach consumers," said Sherrill Mane, Senior Vice President, Research, Analytics and Measurement, IAB.  "Audiences have rapidly altered their media and purchasing habits and made digital media and mobile devices an integral part of their lives."

Source:  Figures from the IAB & PwC, released 21st October 2015

Note - Click on the link to see tables etc

Apple Music has 6.5m paying subscribers

"Apple Inc. said it has 15 million users on its streaming-music service, including 6.5 million paying subscribers.
Speaking at WSJDLive, The Wall Street Journal’s global technology conference, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said the company has 6.5 million paying customers for Apple Music and 8.5 million customers on three-month trials.
Apple launched Apple Music on June 30 and offered every user a three-month trial period. After the trial period, users pay $9.99 a month for individual subscriptions or $14.99 for families. The first batch of customers came off the trial period at the end of September."
Source;  WSJ, 20th October 2015

Social media use in the US, 2005-2015

Lots more charts in the full report
Source:  Report by Pew Internet & American Life Project, 8th October 2015
Full report here

TV is the dominant video viewing platform for millennials in the US

"TV remains the dominant video platform across all demographics, even millennials, according to a report from the Video Advertising Bureau.
The study revealed that a full 80% of millennials say that their video time is spent with TV. And further, watching live TV, as opposed to video-on-demand (VOD), comprises the bulk of viewing.
"One of the most common myths we hear in the marketplace is [that] millennials don't watch TV," the report noted. "This multiscreen insight report takes a deep dive into the video landscape with a specific look at young adults 18-34. We will let the numbers speak for themselves but there is no denying millennials love premium, multiscreen video content."
At the same time, the migration of video viewers from computer to smartphone has accelerated, with 8% less consumers watching video on computer (persons over the age of 18) than they were last year. Meanwhile there been a 16% increase in smartphone video consumption. Also, 45% of people over 18 say that smartphone video garners more time spent.
App usage has also reached its highest level to date, averaging 176 million users over the age of two, monthly. Multimedia device penetration and usage now stands at over 61 million people 2+, with time spent with multimedia devices is highest among millennials."
Source:  Data from the VAB, reported by Rapid TV News, 14th October 2015
Full presentation here

Netflix has over 69m members

"Global membership grew 3.62 million to 69.17 million members compared to prior year growth of 3.02 million, and a forecast of 3.55 million. Operating income was $74 million, compared to prior year of $110 million and a forecast of $81 million. Seven quarters ago we moved to providing you our internal forecast for the quarter ahead. We strive for accuracy in this projection and, when it comes to global net additions, Q3 was our most accurate to date: we were within 2% (3.62 vs. 3.55) and within 10% on operating income ($74m vs. $81m).
While global growth was as we expected, our forecast was high for the US and low for international.
We added 0.88 million new US members in the quarter compared to 0.98 million prior year and a forecast of 1.15 million. Our over-forecast in the US for Q3 was due to slightly higher-than-expected involuntary churn (inability to collect), which we believe was driven in part by the ongoing transition to chip-based credit and debit cards. In terms of US net additions, through the first nine months of 2015, we are slightly ahead of prior year, and we expect to finish 2015 at about 2014 levels. This would mark the 4th consecutive year we’ve added about 6 million members in the US.
[...]
International net add growth totaled 2.74 million compared to 2.04 million in the prior year and a 2.40 million forecast."
Source:  Netflix Results email to shareholders, 14th October 2015

Why people use the Crystal mobile ad blocker

Source:  Data from a poll by Crystal mobile ad blocker on their users, reported by Digiday, 13th October 2015

Children who play video games more frequently achieve lower academic results

Headline Findings:
"- Access to a computer/laptop at home is not an issue for the vast majority of young people with at
least 95% reporting having access. However, despite the fact that only 5% report not having access
to a computer or laptop, when scaled up across the top 40 schools in terms of deprivation, c.1,000
young people are potentially without access, placing them at significant disadvantage.
- Young people spend a significant amount of time online each day with one-third of young people
spending four hours or more online in Year 1 rising to 40% in Year 2 of the study.
- Social networking and gaming were identified by parents/carers and teachers as activities that
could most negatively impact on young people’s attainment. Findings from this research confirm
a link between extent of gaming and GCSE attainment, e.g. only two-fifths (41%) of pupils who
reported using a portable games player a couple of times a day achieved 5A*-C GCSE grades
compared to over three-quarters (77%) of those who reported rarely using one. No relationship
was observed in terms of social networking.
- School staff were particularly concerned about extent of gaming, reporting a number of issues
relating to attendance, punctuality and motivation. Particular issues identified in relation to male
pupils with gaming addiction noted in some instances.
- Internet safety is a particular concern for schools and parents/carers however young people
themselves appeared more comfortable with their own safety online."

Source:  ict & me, A research study examining how young people’s use of ICT and the amount of screentime impacts on GCSE attainment, Northern Ireland, October 2015 

Summary on BBC news here

Dollar Shave Club has 2.2m subscribers

"You remember Dollar Shave Club, don’t you? The company’s first ads, which called for simplicity and emancipation from razors with “a vibrating handle, a flashlight, a back scratcher, and 10 blades” were actually funny enough to go viral over the past few years. The first of them has been viewed more than 19 million times on YouTube.
Well, that upstart company is now claiming to have overtaken Schick as the second-best selling razor cartridge in the U.S., though as a private company the numbers haven’t been independently confirmed.
Unlike razor giants Schick and Gillette, Dollar Shave Club uses a subscription model. The company currently claims to have 2.2 million subscribers who receive either four or five razors per month, depending on the plan."

Source:  Time, 8th September 2015

UK digital ad spend rose to £3.98bn in the first half of 2015

"Total digital ad spend grows 13.4% to touch £4bn in first half of 2015 whilst mobile spend is up 51%, accounting for nearly 80% of the rise in digital ad revenues. This is despite challenges from ad blocking.
Advertisers spent a record £3.98 billion on digital advertising in the first half of 2015 – up 13.4%¹ year-on-year – according to the latest Internet Advertising Bureau UK Digital Adspend report, conducted by PwC.
Display advertising revenues grew at more than twice the overall digital rate (27.5%) to hit £1.31 billion – 33% of total digital ad spend, its largest-ever share. Within display, video ad spend grew 56% to £292 million – accounting for 22% of display revenue. Social media spend rose 51% to £574 million while native/content² grew 50% to £325 million – accounting for 25% of display revenue. Tablet-dedicated³ ad spend grew 115% to £68 million.
[...]
Mobile ad spend up 51%; accounts for nearly 80% of the rise in digital ad revenues
Ad spend on mobiles increased 51% to £1.08 billion in the first half of 2015. The actual increase of £370 million year-on-year accounts for 79% of the rise in digital ad revenues.
Over a quarter (27%) of all digital advertising spend now comes from mobile, compared to 20% a year earlier. Mobile accounts for 39% of display spend, 43% of video spend, 63% of social media spend and 74% of native/content ad spend.
“Mobile is unquestionably the engine of digital growth, with mobile display spend up 63% on the back of mobile video spend more than doubling,” says Dan Bunyan, Senior Manager at PwC. “However, there’s plenty of room to grow, as mobile accounts for 40% of internet time⁴ but only 27% of ad spend. Marketers are realising this is out-of-kilter, hence mobile is likely to continue gaining share at pace.”
Travel/transport overtakes consumer goods as biggest display advertiser
The biggest spending sector on display ads in the first half of 2015 was travel/transport (16.8% share) – overtaking consumer goods (16.1%). Finance was third (13.4%), just ahead of retail (13.3%).
Paid-for search marketing increased 8.4% to £2.07 billion in the first half of 2015. Classifieds including recruitment, property and automotive listings, grew 6.6% to £547 million – accounting for 14% of digital ad spend.
 ¹All growth rates except video and social media advertising are a like-for-like basis, i.e. only companies that submitted in H1 2014 and H1 2015 have been included in year-on-year growth calculations.
²Content marketing = paid for sponsorship, advertisement features, in-feed & native distribution tools.
³Tablet-specific advertising only (i.e. not including internet advertising displayed on a tablet by default).
⁴IAB/UKOM/comScore: Digital Time Spent Study (H1 2015)"
Source:  Press release from the IAB (UK), 7th October 2015

Android has 1.4bn active users

"Google’s mobile platform now has 1.4 billion 30-day active users globally. Google CEO Sundar Pichai revealed the new Android-related data point at its Nexus event in San Francisco today.
At its developer event in June 2014, Google announced it had hit more than 1 billion monthly active users on the Android platform. Prior to that, Mountain View had released cumulative figures for Android activations — announcing it had hit 900 million activations in June 2013, when it was adding some 1.5 million new devices per month, and passing the 1 billion activated Androids mark by September 2013.
This summer analyst Gartner’s latest smartphone market figures recorded the slowest ever year-over-year growth for Android — suggesting Google’s mobile platform has hit peak penetration, taking around 82 percent of the global smartphone market in Q2 this year.
However Pichai talked up Android’s growth in emerging markets, saying usage has “literally doubled” in certain markets over the last year — name-checking Indonesia and Vietnam."

Source:  Techcrunch, 29th September 2015

MAUs

China has 946m mobile web users

"How big is China’s mobile web? So big that it’s genuinely hard to comprehend. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), China is closing in on the one billion mobile web user mark.
Specifically, MIIT says that there are 946 million mobile web users in China. The vast majority of them, more than 900 million, are accessing the web via mobile phones (as opposed to tablets or other mobile devices). And more of those mobile users are accessing the web via 4G, too: China has hit 270 million total 4G users."
Source:  Data on August 2015 from CNNIC, reported by Tech in Asia, 24th September 2015

Facebook has 2.5m advertisers

"In June of 2013, Facebook formally announced that it had 1 million advertisers. Then, in February of this year, the company announced 2 million advertisers. And last night, it said it now had 2.5 million.
Advertiser growth is clearly accelerating.
It would be interesting to know how many advertisers Google currently has. Financial analysts have estimated that Google has approximately 4 million advertisers today.
A substantial though undisclosed percentage of Facebook’s advertisers are small businesses. The company previously said it has 45 million active small business pages globally. It’s trying to covert more of those active Page owners into advertisers.
As part of the 2.5-million announcement, Facebook is introducing new products and tools directed at mobile marketers. The company reported in the second quarter that mobile advertising accounted for 76 percent of total ad revenues."
Source:  Marketingland, 28th September 2015

Kids influence family purchase decisions

"Kids have a lot of influence. Almost all children participate in decision-making processes about purchases. Across categories, parents take their kids’ opinions very seriously. The areas where kids have the most influence are toys (88%), fashion (79%) and places to go (79%). Additionally, 54% of parents say their kids always or often accompany them to the grocery store.
Parent-child relationships are very close. Two-thirds of parents claim to be closer to their kids than their parents were to them, illustrating how much parents trust their children today. Additionally, 9 out of 10 parents say they frequently ask their child’s opinions about purchases, and 4 in 10 confirm that their children are more knowledgeable than them about several product areas (especially toys and gaming).
Kids have the word. Children 6 to 13 often initiate conversations about products, with nearly 90% asking their parents about new things they’ve heard of. Parents listen, too–two-thirds say their children influence them strongly on what to buy.
Kids have money to spend. With 6 in 10 Northern European children getting pocket money, their spending power is significant—adding up to more than 3 billion Euros per year across the six markets in this study.
TV is most relevant. Apart from conversations with parents and friends, TV ads are most central to kids’ discovery of new products. Not only do 80% of kids get ideas about what they want from them, 81% tell their parents about cool TV ads they’ve seen. Kids’ high-level use of laptops, tablets and smartphones demonstrates the importance of multi-platform targeting for advertisers."
Source:  Research on Northern Europe by Viacom, reported on their blog, 25th September 2015

Stats on Android & iOS visitors Pornhub

Source:  Blog post by Pornhub, 30th September 2015
(Link is safe for work)