Eight Million Americans Capture Videos Using Cellphones

The mobile industry is buzzing around the enormous popularity of Web 2.0 services that generate user content, like YouTube, MySpace and Facebook. Google's recent acquisition of YouTube and what it could mean for the mobile community is prompting heightened discussion. According to Telephia, three percent of US mobile subscribers, representing nearly eight million consumers, use their cell phones to take personal videos. This adoption rate for mobile video capture doubles to six percent among mobile subscribers who recently purchased a new handset, revealing a rapid upward trend.

"Google upped the ante this week by paying $1.65 billion for YouTube, validating the success and future potential of user-generated video content. The mobile phone is a unique and rich source of on-the-move, spontaneous, personal videos- the kind that made YouTube a worldwide phenomenon to begin with. It is your tube on the move," said Kanishka Agarwal, VP of New Products, Telephia.

The Motorola RAZR is the top handset choice among recent handset buyers who take videos with their phones, securing a 21 percent share and besting the next top device by nearly four to one. The Nokia 6101, Motorola E815, Sony Ericsson Z525 and the LG VX8100 were also favorites.

<b>Top Device Among Recent Handset Buyers Who Capture Videos (U.S.)</b>

Source: Observed rankings from the Telephia U.S. Device Report (Q2 2006)

Note: Data is based on mobile subscribers who recently purchased a new device during the last six months

<b>Europeans Have Higher Adoption Rates for Video Capture on their Mobile Phones</b>

While more and more U.S. mobile consumers use their phones to capture videos, they still lag behind Europeans. Among the six European countries Telephia measures, Italy and Spain secured the highest adoption rates at 15 and 14 percent, respectively (see Table 2). The U.K. and Sweden also posted double-digit penetration with recent handset buyers, while both France and Germany secured a nine percent penetration rate.

<b>Adoption Rate for Mobile Phone Video Capture (Europe, U.S. and Canada)</b>

Source: Observed share from Telephia European Subscriber and Device Report and U.S. Device Report (Q2 and Q3 2006)

Note: Data is based on mobile subscribers who recently purchased a new device during the last six months."

Posted to the site on 13th October 2006