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Number of Pages: 108
Tables/Charts: Over 100
Coverage: 90 operators across 52 countries

About Mobile Content Services

The use of mobile content is becoming an important addition to the arsenal of mobile operators worldwide. Mobile content services provide the prospect of additional revenue streams beyond the traditional revenues derived from core voice, messaging and mobile data services.

At the same time the introduction of Over The Top (OTT) services - which are substituting SMS services in particular - coupled with the rise of the Google Play and Apple App Store – allied with the adoption of Smartphones has loosened the hold of the MNO in offering its own content services directly to their end users.

And MNOs are under increasing pressure to find new sources of revenue to compensate for the pressure on blended ARPU levels and are looking to bundle additional services into their core package in order to add user ‘stickiness’ in terms of loyalty to the operator and so reduce customer churn.

With the rise of the Smartphone device worldwide, mobile devices are used for traditional MNO services including voice, messaging & mobile data, but they can also act as music players, provide social media access, act as TV or video players and provide overall entertainment. With the presence of services provided by non-MNOs - such as Apple iTunes - as well as other OTT companies including Line and WhatsApp, mobile operators have adopted OTT services as a means of providing additional user loyalty over time.

The driving force for the introduction of content services is primarily the pressure on MNO ARPU. The table below illustrates the reduction in blended ARPU over the last 12 months for a selective number of operators:

In some markets, there is supporting data suggesting an increase in mobile entertainment usage which has attracted the interest of a range of mobile operators.

For example, according to figures from ARIA (the Australian Music Charts) in February 2014, music streaming revenues nearly doubled in 2013, making up 5.9 per cent of the total music market in value terms. However, digital download revenue growth slowed and total sales, including CDs, reduced by 11.6 per cent.

In China, the relatively slow penetration of gaming machines, users have been using their mobile phone for Java-based games and increasingly, Smartphones for high resolution games – with as many as two-thirds of 3G Smartphone users playing mobile games.

But in many cases, MNOs are adopting similar generic services – and are in effect partnering with the OTT provider. In mobile music, for example, MNOs are introducing streaming services largely based on Spotify or Deezer 3^rd party music services.

In some markets, there is supporting data suggesting an increase in mobile entertainment usage which has attracted the interest of a range of mobile operators.

For example, according to figures from ARIA (the Australian Music Charts) in February 2014, music streaming revenues nearly doubled in 2013, making up 5.9 per cent of the total music market in value terms. However, digital download revenue growth slowed and total sales, including CDs, reduced by 11.6 per cent.

In China, the relatively slow penetration of gaming machines, users have been using their mobile phone for Java-based games and increasingly, Smartphones for high resolution games – with as many as two-thirds of 3G Smartphone users playing mobile games.

But in many cases, MNOs are adopting similar generic services – and are in effect partnering with the OTT provider. In mobile music, for example, MNOs are introducing streaming services largely based on Spotify or Deezer 3^rd party music services.

And in mobile social networking, MNOs are bundling the recognised brands including Facebook and in particular WhatsApp – even though arguably the messaging functions of WhatsApp contributes to the cannibalisation of an operator’s SMS revenues

About the Report

This new report includes examples of mobile content pricing from 90 MNOs in 52 countries around the world. It includes a survey of pricing for mobile music, mobile social media, mobile gaming, mobile TV & mobile cinema offered by MNOs worldwide. The report examines the main trends and new content services introduced in the main geographical regions using the unique TCL global pricing database.

Table of Contents

The main mobile content services available

Music
Social Media
Gaming
Cinema

Executive Summary                                                                                                      
Methodology

Section 1: Key mobile music strategies

Subscription based music
Mobile Music offered as a promotion
Mobile Music bundles as a VAS with postpaid tariffs
Mobile Music offered for free
Mobile Music offered as an own branded music service

Section 2: Key mobile Social media strategies
Social Media offered as a bundle
Social Media bundled in tariffs
Social Media offered for free

Section 3: Key mobile gaming strategies
Gaming packages
Gaming packages offered with tariffs
Gaming packages offered as a promotion
Games offered via a web Portal
Games offered in conjunction with major Game platforms

Section 4: Key mobile TV strategies
Mobile TV bundles
Mobile TV offered as a promotion
Mobile TV offered with tariffs
Mobile TV offered as an App

Section 5: Key mobile cinema/movie strategies
Cinema offered via promotions
Cinema/movies offered bundled with tariffs

For a list of Tables and Charts, please contact us on info@telecomspricing.com