Mobile owners willing to pay to avoid ads

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 3 Sep 2008 at 11:18

A growing number of people would be willing to pay for content downloads on their mobile phone, rather than get them free with highly-personalised advertising.

A quarter of the adults surveyed by PC Pro's research partner TNS Technology said they would pay for an otherwise free download if it gave them immunity from advertising.

The research highlights the growing resentment towards the highly tailored adverts that are being sent to mobile phone owners, according to TNS managing director, Amy Cashman.

"With increasingly savvy consumers on one hand, and tough competition on the other, mobile operators are having to reconsider their current approach to generating revenue," she says. "The growing resistance to TV and online advertising has now been transferred to the mobile industry, and operators who ignore this negative sentiment are taking quite a risk."

Surprisingly, it is the generation that's often accused of expecting free content that is most willing to pay for mobile downloads. 35% of 16 to 24-year-olds said they would be prepared to pay for downloads instead of free ad-supported content, compared to only 17% of 35 to 44-year-olds.

"A premium subscription-based model that sacrifices advertising completely, could be the solution," adds Cashman. "Operators might find that there is more of a market for this than they first thought."