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IAB/Nielsen Mobile Panel Pilot Data Reveals 52% of Digital Screen Time now Spent on Mobile Devices

2 minute read | August 2014
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SYDNEY: 13 AUGUST, 2014 – Mobile screen time is leading the way according to new data released by IAB Australia and Nielsen which shows that 52 percent of digital screen time is spent on mobile devices. The findings, which come from the second round of data in the IAB / Nielsen Mobile Audience Panel Pilot study, found that average digital screen time per person for the month June was 38 hours for desktop and laptop, 29 hours for smartphone (browsing/apps) and 24 hours for tablet (browsing/apps).

As with previous data released, application usage dominates smartphone usage, representing 86 percent of time. Application usage on smartphones and tablets is dominated by social and gaming activities; however, browsing on both devices is spread across a range of different categories.

Another trend identified in the report is that our love of news is translating from desktop to mobile devices with 14 percent of smartphone browsing time now spent on news sites compared to only 11 percent in the US.

IAB Australia Director of Research, Gai Le Roy said, “If you compare Australian’s behaviour on their phones to Americans, you find that we are incredibly social with nearly half of all application time being spent on social networking brands. We have seen for many years that Australians are heavy users of social media across all platforms.

“Marketers should keep in mind that consumers are devise agnostic, but when it comes to design, measurement and marketing there need to be different considerations,” said Le Roy.

IAB Australia and PWC are due to release June quarter digital advertising revenue figures in late August and it is expected that mobile will represent at least 25 percent of digital display.

Le Roy commented “If you’re not spending at least quarter of your digital marketing budget on mobile you should ask yourself why not.”

Alex Smith, Nielsen’s Regional Product Lead for Mobile noted; “It’s important that mobile use is considered as behaviour, not just a channel.”

In terms of total screen time, monthly broadcast television consumption represents 57 percent of screen time with 93 hours according to the latest Oztam Australian Multi-Screen Report, while mobile represents 22 percent (phone and tablet) and desktop 21 percent of all screen time.

A panel of 1,500 people across age, gender and income demographics provide the data for browsing and app usage on smartphone and tablets and provides the industry with the most accurate picture to date of the amount of time Australian consumers spend across screens.

ABOUT NIELSENNielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global information and measurement company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television, and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows, and related properties. Nielsen has a presence in approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA, and Diemen, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.

Press Contact:Jackie Helliker, 0403 074 864, jackie.helliker@nielsen.com