Study: Carriers losing grip on mobile content

Subscribers are increasingly reliant on a mix of mobile content obtained via the web, their personal collections and wireless operators according to a new consumer study conducted by market analysis firm ABI Research. According to ABI, mobile consumers are more likely to watch a YouTube clip than a video obtained from their carrier, but are more than twice as likely to purchase a ringtone from the operator than any other source. In all, 14 percent of respondents told ABI they use their phones to watch video content--35 percent of them view videos from the web, 31 percent from their carrier's video catalog and 28 percent from videos sideloaded onto their device. Music was similarly mixed, with sideloads accounting for 48 percent of mobile listening while 35 percent purchased tracks from their operator. Preloaded mobile games also proved popular: Six in 10 mobile gamers said they only play titles included on their phones.

"Despite the strong control most carriers retain over the network, their control over the mobile content ecosystem remains limited. The consumer will see more and more options for obtaining rich media in the future," said ABI research director Michael Wolf in a prepared statement. "As the mobile phone grows from being a voice-centric device to a multidimensional communication and entertainment device, content channels will continue to multiply. We expect to see increased content acquisition directly to the phone from the web. And despite a loosening of control over content delivery to consumers, we believe the carriers will ultimately benefit as they open up their networks and handset platforms and look into taking advantage of increased advertising-supported content delivery."

For more on the ABI study:
- read this release

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