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Mobile Social Networking Has 12.3 Million Friends

Aug 15, 2007 10:15am

Mobile Social Networking Has 12.3 Million Friends in the US and Western Europe

MySpace has largest mobile network in the United States and UK; MSN/Windows Live Spaces is preferred in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

SEATTLE and LONDON--August 15, 2007—M:Metrics, the mobile media authority, today released for the first time its measurement of mobile social networking, announcing that 12.3 million consumers in the United States and Western Europe reported accessing a social networking site with their mobile device in the month of June.

The American audience for mobile social networking sites was the largest, with 7.5 million, or 3.5 percent, of mobile subscribers. Italy follows, with 1.3 million or 2.8 percent, then the UK, with 1.1 million, or 2.5 percent, Spain, with 751,000 (2.3 percent), Germany (1.9 percent) and France (1.7 percent). MySpace garnered the most mobile users in the United States and United Kingdom, whereas MSN was the forum of choice for mobile Web 2.0 users in the other geographies surveyed.

“For an increasingly wide audience, social networking sites have become an indispensable part of the digital lifestyle,” said Mark Donovan, senior analyst, M:Metrics.

“Nearly every online social networking site has added the ability to connect to these communities with a mobile phone, allowing people to access profiles and share content while they’re on the go. With the mobile phone playing a central role in people’s social lives, it’s only natural that social networking sites are working to bridge the gap between the online and mobile worlds.”

MySpace and Facebook are the top two social networking sites accessed via mobile in both the U.S. and UK. MySpace attracts 3.7 million U.S. and 440,000 UK mobile users. In America, Facebook’s mobile audience is about 2 million, and in Britain, about 307,000. Rounding out the top three is YouTube in the U.S., with 901,000 mobile visitors and Bebo in the UK, with 288,000.

M:Metrics also tracks the availability of content across all operator portals and found that in June, the top three U.S. mobile social networking sites had strong distribution, with MySpace appearing on the decks of : Amp’d, AT&T, Helio and Nextel. Facebook was accessible on the Sprint, AT&T, Virgin and Amp’d decks and YouTube on the Verizon deck*. In the UK, MySpace has distribution on Vodafone, Bebo is on the 3 deck, but number-two MSN Live Spaces is offered nowhere on-portal.

Those under 25 are the most active users of mobile social networking sites across all geographies. In France, Germany, Italy and Spain, the age demographic with the largest percentage of use is 13-17-year-olds, whereas college-aged consumers (18-24) are the most avid users in the United States and the United Kingdom.

M:Metrics applies trusted media measurement methodologies to assess the audience for mobile content and applications. As the world’s most authoritative mobile market measurement firm, M:Metrics delivers the most accurate mobile market metrics through the world’s largest monthly survey of mobile subscribers as well as automated data collection methodologies. Below are the findings of its June Benchmark Survey.

*YouTube is also on the iPhone deck, which was not under measurement at the time of the survey.

France Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content and Applications

M:Metrics Benchmark Survey: June 2007

Activity

Subscribers (1000s)

Percentage

Percentage Change

Sent Text Message

32,075

72.10%

-0.10%

Used Photo Messaging

9,967

22.40%

2.40%

Used Personal E-Mail

2,571

5.80%

0.70%

Purchased Ringtone

1,964

4.40%

-2.80%

Used Mobile Instant Messenger

1,345

3.00%

-2.10%

Used Work E-Mail

935

2.10%

-2.40%

Purchased Wallpaper or Screensaver

777

1.70%

4.80%

Downloaded Mobile Game

614

1.40%

3.60%

Source: M:Metrics, Inc., Copyright © 2007. Survey of French mobile subscribers. Data based on three-month moving average for period ending 30 June, 2007, n = 12,705

Germany Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content and Applications

M:Metrics Benchmark Survey: June 2007

Activity

Subscribers (1000s)

Percentage

Percentage Change

Sent Text Message

37,196

80.00%

-0.40%

Used Photo Messaging

10,087

21.70%

5.50%

Used Personal E-Mail

2,542

5.50%

-1.30%

Purchased Ringtone

2,173

4.70%

1.70%

Used Mobile Instant Messenger

1,540

3.30%

6.80%

Used Work E-Mail

1,314

2.80%

2.30%

Downloaded Mobile Game

1,251

2.70%

4.10%

Purchased Wallpaper or Screensaver

959

2.10%

-1.30%

Source: M:Metrics, Inc., Copyright © 2007. Survey of German mobile subscribers. Data based on three-month moving average for period ending 30 June, 2007, n = 15,615

Italy Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content and Applications

M:Metrics Benchmark Survey: June 2007

Activity

Subscribers (1000s)

Percentage

Percentage Change

Sent Text Message

38,621

85.80%

1.40%

Used Photo Messaging

13,755

30.60%

3.40%

Used Personal E-Mail

3,989

8.90%

2.00%

Used Mobile Instant Messenger

2,576

5.70%

3.10%

Used Work E-Mail

2,319

5.20%

4.30%

Purchased Ringtone

2,077

4.60%

2.10%

Downloaded Mobile Game

1,382

3.10%

-8.50%

Purchased Wallpaper or Screensaver

1,164

2.60%

2.20%

Source: M:Metrics, Inc., Copyright © 2007. Survey of Italy mobile subscribers. Data based on three-month moving average for period ending 30 June, 2007, n = 13,719

Spain Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content and Applications

M:Metrics Benchmark Survey: June 2007

Activity

Subscribers (1000s)

Percentage

Percentage Change

Sent Text Message

26,874

84.00%

0.10%

Used Photo Messaging

10,072

31.50%

2.60%

Used Personal E-Mail

2,685

8.40%

-1.80%

Used Mobile Instant Messenger

1,997

6.20%

-3.20%

Purchased Ringtone

1,805

5.60%

-4.60%

Used Work E-Mail

1,663

5.20%

-8.30%

Downloaded Mobile Game

1,500

4.70%

-0.40%

Purchased Wallpaper or Screensaver

672

2.10%

0.70%

Source: M:Metrics, Inc., Copyright © 2007. Survey of Spain mobile subscribers. Data based on three-month moving average for period ending 30 June, 2007, n = 13,080

United Kingdom Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content and Applications

M:Metrics Benchmark Survey: June 2007

Activity

Subscribers (1000s)

Percentage

Percentage Change

Sent Text Message

38,979

86.60%

-0.10%

Used Photo Messaging

13,326

29.60%

-0.50%

Used Personal E-Mail

3,217

7.10%

-2.30%

Used Mobile Instant Messenger

2,248

5.00%

1.00%

Downloaded Mobile Game

2,174

4.80%

0.90%

Used Work E-Mail

1,724

3.80%

1.10%

Purchased Ringtone

1,694

3.80%

-5.80%

Purchased Wallpaper or Screensaver

855

1.90%

4.90%

Source: M:Metrics, Inc., Copyright © 2007. Survey of United Kingdom mobile subscribers. Data based on three-month moving average for period ending 30 June, 2007, n = 15,758

United States Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content and Applications

M:Metrics Benchmark Survey: June 2007

Activity

Subscribers (1000s)

Percentage

Percentage Change

Sent Text Message

88,674

41.60%

1.20%

Used Photo Messaging

37,275

17.50%

3.40%

Purchased Ringtone

20,012

9.40%

0.90%

Used Personal E-Mail

19,259

9.00%

3.60%

Used Mobile Instant Messenger

14,215

6.70%

-0.50%

Used Work E-Mail

11,356

5.30%

3.10%

Downloaded Mobile Game

6,908

3.20%

-2.40%

Purchased Wallpaper or Screensaver

6,725

3.20%

2.20%

Source: M:Metrics, Inc., Copyright © 2007. Survey of United States mobile subscribers. Data based on three-month moving average for period ending 30 June, 2007, n = 33,810

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Accessed Social Networking Site or Blog: June 2007


France

Germany

Italy

Spain

UK

US

Almost every day

0.8%

0.5%

1.5%

0.7%

0.3%

0.7%

At least once each week

0.2%

0.4%

0.4%

0.6%

0.7%

1.1%

Once to three times throughout the month

0.7%

1.0%

0.9%

1.1%

1.4%

1.8%

Ever in month

1.7%

1.9%

2.8%

2.3%

2.5%

3.5%

About M:Metrics

M:Metrics is the mobile media authority. As the only research firm to measure the audience for mobile media, M:Metrics provides the most accurate metrics on actual mobile content consumption by applying trusted media measurement methodologies to the mobile market.

M:Metrics’ monthly syndicated data service gives clients the critical insights and intelligence required to inform smart business strategies and the competitive benchmarks needed to evaluate the performance of competitors and partners. M:Metrics is a private, venture-funded corporation headquartered in Seattle, with offices in San Francisco and London.

About M:Metrics Data

Based on continually refreshed samples of nationally representative mobile phone consumers, M:Metrics reports summarise market size, device reach, and key demographic and mobile phone usage characteristics.

The data presented here is drawn from an extensive survey questionnaire that collects specific device model and carrier subscription information from each month’s sample of mobile phone subscribers, and also drills down into specific details related to current and past usage of various mobile phone applications and content. Data collected from each sample are statistically balanced and projected to the total national population of mobile phone subscribers.

Authorized Uses
Members of the press may cite research data or a portion of text provided that each is sourced to M:Metrics, for example, "Source: M:Metrics, Inc." or “According to M:Metrics, . . .”. Copies of graphs, data tables or slides must include the following copyright notice affixed to all material: "Copyright © 2007, M:Metrics,inc