Nielsen//NetRatings has developed a service for telecoms providers enabling them to measure and analyse mobile content usage. Three major carriers are already using or trialling the system - Optus, Hutchison 3 and Telstra.
The agency says the mobile phone is 'a fast maturing content channel' with millions of mobile page impressions already logged by users each month. The service is being discussed during the 'Mobile Content World' event on 11 and 12 May in the Intercontinental Hotel, Sydney.Optus' mobile content portal, Optus Zoo, is already tracking mobile content metrics, whilst the Nielsen//NetRatings analytics service is in advanced trials on Hutchison's 3 and Telstra's i-ModeTM platform.
According to the agency's MD Australia Mark Henning, 'It's very exciting that while the mobile market has yet to reach its full potential, Nielsen//NetRatings already has a ratings tool which enables our customers to track the number of people reading news, checking the weather or downloading ringtones. For our customers, meanwhile, it is extremely encouraging to be able to see a clear and strong demand for mobile content, pointing towards a very bright future for the business'.
Henning says lessons learnt on the Web have enabled Nielsen//NetRatings to bring the new service to market much more rapidly than comparable innovations. 'In many ways, measurement in the mobile market isn't dissimilar to the Web, so we have been able to take all the lessons of the past decade and apply suitable knowledge to the issue of tracking mobile content'. He describes the field as 'an area of vast potential for both Nielsen//NetRatings and its customers'.
The company's home page for Australia is at www.nielsen-netratings.com.au
