With mobile media poised to become the next big thing, a new survey of
US consumers from Bamboo MediaCasting, Inc. (www.bamboomc.com [1])
indicates that the industry still needs to resolve a few nagging
problems – matters like image quality,
bandwidth limitations and the overall consumer experience.

In association with Chicago market researcher Synovate, Bamboo
MediaCasting – the leading provider of
scheduled, push delivery of subscription content to mobile customers –
asked 1,000 online consumers, “What do you
think is apt to be the most frustrating part about viewing video on a
cell phone?” The company released the findings
on the eve of CTIA Wireless 2008, which runs from April 1-3 in Las
Vegas. Bamboo will introduce its SilverStripe white label solution to
U.S. carriers and service providers during ShowStoppers@CTIA Wireless
2008, at Wynn Las Vegas.

According to the Bamboo/Synovate eNation study, conducted in early
March, 51 percent of total respondents expect that mobile video
subscriptions will be too expensive. Among those who did not cite cost,
45.5 percent anticipate that image quality will be poor; 27 percent
expect speed will be an issue – that is, they
expect that content will be slow to load; 17 percent say the process
will be too complex – too many steps will be
involved to make things work; and 10 percent anticipate that content
choices will be limited.

“Mobile media technology has clearly come a
long way in a very short time, but as these findings suggest, we as an
industry need to ensure that consumers have a quality experience every
step of the way,” said Guy Morag, CEO of
Bamboo MediaCasting. “The mobile platform is
unique – it’s not TV
and it’s not the PC. Carriers and service
providers stand to benefit, the closer we all come to providing
solutions that don’t involve unacceptable
compromises.”

Driven by anticipated 3G network adoption and broad consumer interest,
the number of mobile content subscribers is expected to grow to 462
million worldwide over the next five years, according to ABI Research.
IDC, meanwhile, has estimated the U.S. audience for mobile video at 25
million+ by 2011, while Juniper Research projects mobile entertainment
revenues to jump from $20 billion to $65 billion over the same period.

Survey Findings at a Glance

The data below applies to that portion of the sample that did not cite
cost as the main source of frustration:

• Who’s Image Conscious? Women are
  more likely than men to have concerns with image quality (48 percent
  to 43 percent), and slightly more inclined to have issues with speed
  (29 percent to 25 percent). Men are markedly more concerned than women
  about limited content choices (13 percent to 7 percent).
• Youth in a Hurry. Perhaps conditioned by encounters with grainy
  screens in various guises, the youngest demographic –
  those ages 18-14 – were substantially less
  concerned about image quality (21 percent) than all other age groups.
  That same demographic has far less patience for slow image loading; 45
  percent cited speed as the biggest frustration with mobile video.
• Patience Comes with Age... Nearly 50 percent of those over 35
  ranked image quality their top concern – in
  most cases by a 12 to 15 point margin. Indeed, the older you are, the
  less frustrated you’re likely to be with
  slow image loading: while 36 percent of those 35-44 cited speed as
  their top concern, that frustration diminishes significantly for those
  45-54 (23 percent), those 55-64 (19 percent) and those over 65 (10
  percent).
• … But Not Necessarily with
  Parenthood. Among households without children, nearly half ranked
  image quality as the top frustration (49.5 percent), against 39
  percent with kids. That situation is reversed when the subject shifts
  to speed; there, sluggish loading was a top concern among 34 percent
  of households with children, but just 23 percent of those without.
• Regionally, Reception Varies. Image quality is a relatively
  bigger deal in the Northeast (53 percent), and relatively less of a
  frustration in the South (41 percent). Those in the Northeast are,
  however, less concerned about loading speeds (22 percent) than
  consumers elsewhere in the country.
• Deciphering the Device. Having a kid in the house also appears
  to help tame technology; just 12 percent of households with children
  expressed frustration with the complexity of mobile video, against 21
  percent of those without kids. For those with a high school education
  or less, the steps involved in viewing mobile video loom as a greater
  source of frustration than they do for those with college or
  post-graduate training (26 percent to 15 percent).
• Type A’s Want Clarity. Those
  employed full-time – arguably, the busiest
  among the various employment group breakdowns –
  are relatively more frustrated by bad image quality (49 percent) and
  sluggish image loading (30 percent) than those who work part-time, are
  self-employed, unemployed or retired.

The Bamboo/Synovate survey has a margin of error of +/- 3 percent. For a
full copy of the survey results and a graphic presentation of top-line
data, email info@edgecommunicationsinc.com [2].

About Bamboo MediaCasting

Bamboo MediaCasting, Inc. (www.bamboomc.com [3])
provides proprietary solutions and support services for mobile content
delivery and is the leading provider of scheduled, push delivery of
subscription content to mobile customers. With Bamboo MediaCasting’s
SilverStripe solution, mobile phone carriers and service providers can
generate recurring revenues by providing automatic delivery of
user-selected rich-media content, while minimizing data cost and network
congestion. For consumers, Bamboo MediaCasting automatically delivers
video and audio content that subscribers want with maximum convenience
and crystal-clear quality. The company is privately held and based in
Tel-Aviv, Israel.