Reports: iOS

This mini report is a review of trends and data on sports betting from Q3 2019 to Q1 2020 in the leading English-speaking markets of the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, with a focus on UK sports betters. MIDiA Research conducts quarterly surveys in key markets to gain insight into self-reported consumer trends in sports engagement through content, merchandise and fandom.

Despite being far from the mainstream at 9% penetration, voice control activity has established itself firmly in certain pockets of the digital entertainment landscape, be it among music subscribers in terms of entertainment or among Snapchat users within social media.

The mobile market in Germany is in the middle of a consumer behavior shift. Smartphone penetration and app usage have entered the mainstream and digital content consumption on mobile is on the rise, but app payment remains niche. Consumers switching from traditional phone calls and texting to internet voice communication and messaging contribute to the fact that effective monetisation of mobile data will be an ever more important revenue driver in German Mobile Network Operator (MNO) strategy.

The global app economy is maturing. This transformation will bring a multitude of headline-worthy power shifts in the next five years. At the top, the share of global revenue will shift significantly between regions, as well as between platforms. Furthermore, the revenue mix will become more even between spend segments, as whales approach their full potential and free users’ monetization will experience its largest boom yet.

Discovery is accentuating the app economy divide. Superstar app developers can afford TV ads and supercharged digital campaigns to distinguish their apps from the ever-growing pool of competitors, leaving smaller developers increasingly locked out. Supercell and King’s combined $1bn annual marketing spend is not only out of reach for most, it also drives up mobile ad costs with inventory supply struggling to keep pace with demand.

In May 2014 we warned about potential risks of the Superstar App Economy. Too few apps were taking most of the revenue. Investors funded huge marketing and development budgets in a bid to create mega hits, but in the process raised the barriers to entry.

Accelerating smartphone and tablet adoption around the world is supercharging an already buoyant app store economy. A combination of Apple’s tightly integrated ecosystem and Google’s aggressive marketing strategy are helping propel apps further into consumers’ consciousness.

Natives and Immigrants demarcate the digital world. While Digital Immigrants bear the baggage of their analogue era past, Digital Natives have only ever know ubiquitous connectivity and content availability. Consequently the digital music behaviour of Digital Natives evolves at a dramatic pace and markedly over indexes against the Digital Immigrants.