'Third Screen' Emerging as a Genuine Media Factor

Another insight from my meetings in Europe last week is the growing popularity there of the mobile phone as a video medium, the so-called third screen.  Europeans currently lead the charge in downloading and watching videos on their mobile phones, but use in the US is up 45 percent in the second quarter of 2006 to nearly eight million subscribers.  This from research group Telephia.

What's hot in the US video capture market?  TV shows.  When you consider that television programming is also the leading DVD rental category, an important point can be understood: the new consumers aren't against TV fare, they simply prefer to watch it when they want and without commercial interruptions.

Mobile TV Channels Ranked by Share of Total Audience

Channel	Total Audience
1. ABC News	40%
2. The Weather Channel	32%
3. Fox Sports	31%
4. ESPN	29%
5. Fox News	22%
6. NBC Mobile News	20%
7. Comedy Central	16%
8. Accuweather	15%
8. Discovery Kids	15%
10. Discovery Channel	13%
11. CNN	12%
11. E!	12%

The New Prime Time?

Consider two other data points and you'll see what I mean.  Again from Telephia:

• Mobile video users watch about 22 percent of the time at home, 22 percent of the time while they're commuting, 16 percent of the time when they're shopping and 14 percent of the time when they're at work
• 60 percent of viewers who watch TV on their cell phones and other mobile devices do so between 12 noon and 8:00PM

That means the Bubble Generation is creating a whole new rhythm to watching TV, a whole new prime time.  You can only imagine the implications for marketers and advertisers. You will have to gain all new granular insight in order to traffic spots for maximum impact.  None of the old bromides or rules of thumb will work.  We're all going to have to be fast on our feet to keep apace with the BubbleGen consumer.