250 million people for mobile porn
A new report from Juniper Research indicates that a quarter of a billion people will be using their mobile devices to access adult content by 2017.
The total number of users of adult mobile content (including adult mobile subscriptions, adult mobile videochat, adult SMS, adult mobile videos and adult AR) will reach almost a quarter of a billion users in 2017, at 243 million users, the research firm said.
According to the report, smartphones and tablets have become a key distribution channel for adult content – thanks to the adult service providers tailoring their content for an increasingly mobile audience.
Content such as videos, images and live cam shows will see an increase of 30% against current usage, Juniper said.
“Usage on tablets would be fuelled by the increasing trend towards tablets becoming personal, as opposed to shared household devices, thereby alleviating user concerns that other family members might view inappropriate content,” the research firm noted.
Despite the projected growth for mobile pornography, Juniper said it sees the total number of users of both mobile and desktop content to be “broadly consistent” over the next few years.
Total users, the firm pointed out, is not reflective of a sum of users in each category (mobile, desktop, tablet, etc) but rather a reflection of users who access adult content on multiple devices.
“We expect to see continued migration to smartphones and tablets, as more enhanced, tailored content makes its way onto these personal devices,” it said.
One of the challenges facing the mobile adult content industry is its difficulty generating revenues, Juniper said, due mainly to the “swathes of free content” available.
“Smartphones and tablets, however, offer an application which combines mobility and privacy, and offers the potential for alternative business models to be explored,” the firm said.
“Given the rising popularity of live webcam content, smartphones and tablets are uniquely positioned to take advantage of this market.”
According to Juniper, revenue from adult videochat, in particular, will grow substantially over the forecast period, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25%.
Although the user base is spread globally, Juniper has found that revenues are likely to be concentrated in the US and Western Europe throughout the forecast period.
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