Britain's Reality TV Craze Fuels Text Message Voting
I'm a text voter, get me out of here! The reality TV craze sweeping the UK has reached the mobile industry, according to M:Metrics' latest figures. The measurement firm's January Benchmark Survey found that 21.8% of British mobile subscribers (8.9 million) voted in a TV or radio poll in a month during the quarter ended January 2006, compared with 12.1% of German (5 million) and 7% of US (12.3 million), mobile subscribers.
M:Metrics data reinforces the fact that text messaging is ubiquitous in Europe. Approximately 83% and 79% of British and German mobile phone users respectively sent a text message in a month. Whereas Germans have embraced SMS as a means to receive news and information with as much vigour as their British counterparts, at about 7% each; the British are far more likely to use the technology to opine about a television or radio show.
"The prevalence of reality television shows such as I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Big Brother and X-Factor in the UK is clearly changing mobile phone behaviour," said Paul Goode a senior analyst from M:Metrics. "TV programmers around the globe have been seeking new ways to engage with their audiences using various interactive platforms, and clearly, the British have chosen to use their mobile phones, turning reality TV into a truly cross-medium interactive event."
The following are the results of its Benchmark Surveys in the U.K. and Germany for the quarter ending 31 January 2006.
U.K. Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content and Applications
| Activity | Projected Monthly Reach (000s) | Percent UK Mobile Subscribers |
| Sent Text Message | 34,266 | 83.6 |
| Used Photo Messaging | 10,613 | 25.9 |
| Retrieved News and Information | 4,756 | 11.6 |
| Purchased Ringtone | 2,780 | 6.8 |
| Used Personal E-mail | 2,561 | 6.2 |
| Downloaded Mobile Game | 1,679 | 4.1 |
| Purchased Wallpaper or Screensaver | 1,060 | 2.6 |
| Used Mobile Instant Messenger | 1,319 | 3.2 |
| Used Work E-mail | 1,175 | 2.9 |
German Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content and Applications
| Activity | Projected Monthly Reach (000s) | Percent German Mobile Subscribers |
| Sent Text Message | 33,284 | 79.2 |
| Used Photo Messaging | 7,922 | 18.9 |
| Retrieved News and Information | 3,073 | 7.3 |
| Purchased Ringtone | 2,585 | 6.2 |
| Used Personal E-mail | 1,682 | 4 |
| Downloaded Mobile Game | 1,364 | 3.2 |
| Purchased Wallpaper or Screensaver | 1,151 | 2.7 |
| Used Mobile Instant Messenger | 1,153 | 2.7 |
| Used Work E-mail | 1,014 | 2.4 |
Posted to the site on 7th March 2006
