Arbitron Mobile launches smartphone and tablet measurement service in United States Syndicated, opt-in research panel to deliver insights into services, apps and Internet use of all major mobile devices and operating systemsCOLUMBIA, MD; April 17, 2012 ““ Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) announced today the launch of a syndicated, mobile consumer research service in the United States.
The Arbitron Mobile Trends PanelsTM service is a new research offering that utilizes a proprietary, on-device software meter to provide marketers, content providers, app developers and wireless access suppliers with information on how mobile consumers use apps, surf the web, engage in social media, participate in e-commerce, are exposed to and act on advertising, and employ their device to communicate.
The U.S. implementation of the Arbitron Mobile Trends Panels service features an opt-in panel of approximately 6,000 smartphone and tablet users initially recruited beginning in November 2011 by Arbitron Mobile, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arbitron Inc.The service is designed to report reach, frequency, usage and consumer engagement with all key functions and activities of their mobile devices, whether the device is online, connected to a cellular or Wi-Fi network, or used offline.
The Arbitron MobileTM measurement technology is also capable of serving real-time, context-sensitive questionnaires directly to a user’s mobile device, a feature designed for custom research studies of the user experience or for ad effectiveness studies.
Said Dr. Hannu Verkasalo, Senior Vice President, Arbitron Mobile: “Consumers have embraced mobile as a primary way to access online content, media, messaging and social networking. With the debut of our Arbitron Mobile Trends Panels service, we are working to become a leading provider of insights for the mobile and media industry into the top mobile apps, web sites, devices and usage patterns, as well as mobile advertising, search and commerce.”
- The Arbitron Mobile Trends Panels service is designed to help marketers, app developers, content and wireless providers answer key questions about the mobile consumer:
- how popular is an app overall and by category;
- what the key differences in mobile use patterns are by operating system;
- how much time users spend with content, apps or activities such as messaging;
- how people act on mobile advertising;
- where consumers come from to find content;
- where they go when they leave; and
- what a day in the life of the mobile consumer looks like.
Clients to the Arbitron Mobile Trends Panels service would access reports on mobile consumers via a web-based dashboard, via custom reports and analyses as well as through pre-formatted executive summaries. Arbitron Mobile started recruiting the U.S. panel in November 2011.
The Arbitron Mobile Trends Panels is now commercially available in the United States. The U.S. panel is a complement to mobile panels that Arbitron Mobile operates in global markets outside of North America. Interested parties may send an inquiry to mobile@arbitron.com or call (+1) 646 203 9306.
- How smartphone owners use their mobile devices
- Based on data from the first quarter 2012, among smartphone users, age 18 and older, in the Arbitron Mobile Trends Panels service:
- Apps and Internet Browsing
- The top 5 apps are Facebook, Google Search, YouTube, Pandora radio
- and Yahoo Mail;
- App usage is growing faster than Internet browsing;
- There are 14 apps with a reach of greater than 10 percent among monthly users, and there are 34 apps that have a reach of greater than 5 percent, and;
- The average data traffic (Wi-Fi and cellular) for web browsing among users of Android, Blackberry and Symbian phones is approximately 59 MB per user per month. For Apple iPhones, the average web traffic is 223 MB per user per month.
Messaging
- Users spend 212 minutes a month reading or sending SMS text messages;
- The average user sends around 11 SMS messages per day, and receives 13;
- More time is spent with email, an average 332 minutes in the month; and
- Out of all communications with smartphones, voice call accounts for only 45 percent of all usage time.
Social networking
- Social media apps represents 11.1 percent of all smartphone usage;
- Facebook is the top smartphone app with a monthly reach 65.0 percent, accounting for 210 minutes of the average users time in the month; and
- Twitter is the #8 smartphone app with a monthly reach of 13.2 percent, accounting for 107 minutes of the average users time in a month.
About the Arbitron Mobile Trends Panels service in the United StatesTo be included in the Arbitron Mobile Trends Panels service, an individual must be at least 18 years old and agree in advance to participate in the panel. Individuals voluntarily install the Arbitron Mobile on-device meter app on a smartphone or tablet.
Arbitron uses industry-standard practices to protect panelist information, including (where applicable) keeping contact information separate from research data. Individuals may discontinue their participation in the Arbitron Mobile consumer research service at any time simply by deleting the Arbitron Mobile app.
About Arbitron MobileWith the addition of this new syndicated service, Arbitron Mobile currently operates syndicated mobile research panels in six countries: United States, United Kingdom, Finland, Denmark, France and Germany. Arbitron Mobile also operates custom panels, licenses its technology, and has performed ad hoc research in approximately 50 countries worldwide.
Arbitron Mobile has operated in the mobile media measurement field, and provided measurement and research services, for the past eight years and is the pioneer of the field with the first mobile on-device metering panels deployed for media research.
About ArbitronArbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) is an international media and marketing research firm serving the media”“radio, television, cable and out-of-home; the mobile industry as well as advertising agencies and advertisers around the world.
Arbitron’s businesses include: measuring network and local market radio audiences across the United States; surveying the retail, media and product patterns of U.S. consumers; providing mobile audience measurement and analytics in the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia, and developing application software used for analyzing media audience and marketing information data.
The Company has developed the Portable People Meter ‘ (PPMTM) and the PPM 360′, new technologies for media and marketing research.Portable People Meter’, PPM’ PPM 360′, Arbitron MobileTM and Arbitron Mobile Trends PanelsTM are marks of Arbitron Inc.Android, Blackberry, Symbian and Apple are trademarks of their respective owners.
Statements in this release that are not strictly historical, including the statements regarding expectations for 2012 and any other statements regarding events or developments that we believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future, may be “forward-looking” statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those suggested or indicated by such forward-looking statements.
These factors include, among other things, the current global economic recession and the upheaval in the credit markets and financial services industry, competition, our ability to develop and successfully market new products and technologies, our ability to successfully commercialize our Portable People Meter’ service, the growth rates and cyclicality of markets we serve, our ability to expand our business in new markets, our ability to successfully identify,
consummate and integrate appropriate acquisitions, the impact of increased costs of data collection including a trend toward increasing incidence of cell phone-only households, litigation and other contingent liabilities including intellectual property matters, our compliance with applicable laws and regulations and changes in applicable laws and regulations, our ability to achieve projected efficiencies, cost reductions, sales growth and earnings, and international economic, political, legal and business factors.
Additional information regarding the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements is available in our SEC filings, including our 2011 Annual Report on Form 10-K. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release and the Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statement
