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Entertainment Drives Mobile Web Growth in BRIC Countries

Entertainment-themed websites are the most popular with mobile internet users in the growing mobile markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC), according to Nielsen’s latest Mobile Media Marketplace report (PDF).

This thirst for entertainment is a stark contrast with the more mature US and European markets, where information and news draw the most mobile use. Entertainment, gaming and music websites rank among the top five categories visited in all four BRIC countries, but do not appear at all in the top US and Europe rankings.

Email, weather, news, and search are the top mobile internet categories in both America and Europe; in the US, entertainment, music, and games place eighth, ninth, and tenth respectively.

“In the US and Europe, broad access to media and entertainment has been available for decades through a large fixed distribution infrastructure, and more recently in specialized devices like iPods,” said Jeff Herrmann, VP of mobile media at Nielsen. “Users in the growing Brazil, Russia, India, and China markets haven’t had the benefit of broad-based content distribution thereby limiting their exposure, and are filling the service gap by embracing mobile’s transition into a personal entertainment platform.”

The research also reveals that mobile internet continues to gain traction worldwide. More than 11% of Russian mobile users have accessed the internet on their mobile device, trailing only the US, UK and Italy.

At 6.8%, China’s mobile internet penetration is on par with Germany’s, and although Brazil and India trail other countries in penetration, there is an important first step towards wider adoption, according to Nielsen.

“Mobile fills an important access gap in nations where internet access is not always readily available in homes and schools,” said Herrmann.