Pyramid Research's June 2009 report “Mobile Video Services: A Five-Year Global Market Forecast” estimates that the global number of users paying for mobile video services directly delivered to their handsets will grow five-fold between 2008 and 2014 to surpass 534 million at the end of the period, most of them on MIDs.
As video makes its way in the mobile space across developed and emerging markets, better devices and networks, that and multimedia’s prevalence as essential entertainment are combining to boost adoption and spending on mobile video services. The report analyzes the adoption and revenue opportunity for mobile video services — paid video clips, music videos, TV episodes, TV programming and movies — as well as operator strategies through seven country case studies from Brazil, Chile, China, India, Italy, Japan and the United States.
Key findings include:
- Netbooks will be a strategic tool for MNOs and OEMs alike until the global economy recovers and users are ready and able to afford to migrate to more sophisticated devices.
- The number of global mobile video subscriptions will grow to 534 million in 2014 for a penetration rate of 8.5 percent of total mobile subscriptions, up from the current 2.5 percent level.
- Asia-Pacific will be crucial for mobile video. Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea currently lead in mobile video subscriptions, but the next five years will see important mobile video growth in India.
- Europe, led by Italy’s advanced mobile video market, will also show major expansion.
