The Global Mobile Report

How Multi-Platform Audiences & Engagement Compare in the

US, Canada, UK and Beyond

comScore, Inc. Proprietary.

About This Report

The Global Mobile Report leverages data sources unique to comScore
covering several geographies:
The report is based primarily on comScore MMX Multi-Platform, which
provides deduplicated reporting of digital audiences across desktop
computers, smartphones and tablets.
Multi-platform reporting accounts for unduplicated audience viewing across
web, app and video content.
The report focuses on three markets: the US, Canada and the UK, the
markets where unified market-level multi-platform reporting is currently
available.
The Global Mobile Report will be expanded to include Multi-Platform insights
from Spain and Brazil, with several other new markets in 2016.
For more information about subscribing to MMX Multi-Platform, please contact
us at www.comscore.com/learnmore.

comScore, Inc. Proprietary.

The importance of de-duplicating platform audiences

Desktop (only)

Mobile (only)

Smartphone

Browsing

Video

App

App

Browser

Tablet

App

Browser

Multi-Platform

comScore, Inc. Proprietary.

Contents
Multi-Platform Overview

PAGE 5

Demographics

PAGE 8

Content Categories

PAGE 15

Media

PAGE 21

Summary & Key Findings

PAGE 31

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Multi-Platform Overview

comScore, Inc. Proprietary.

Share of Digital Media Time: Platforms

Source: comScore MMX Multi-Platform, US, Canada, UK, March 2015

CANADA
48%

UK

52%

DESKTOP
MOBILE (PHONE & TABLET)

44%
USA
39%

61%

56%
The US has the
highest skew of
usage time
towards mobile at
more than a 60/40
split, while Canada
is closer to 50/50.

comScore, Inc. Proprietary.

Share of Digital Media Time: Access Method

DESKTOP

Source: comScore MMX Multi-Platform, US, Canada, UK, March 2015

SMARTPHONE (APP)

CANADA

2%

SMARTPHONE (BROWSER)

14%
TABLET (APP)

UK

5%

48%

12%

TABLET (BROWSER)

3%

7%
31%

44%

USA
10%

34%

2%

6%
39%

Most mobile usage

occurs via apps,
particularly on
smartphones.
Smartphone app
engagement has
already surpassed
desktop in the US.

43%

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Demographics

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Demographic Analysis: Total Digital Audience Composition

Source: comScore MMX Multi-Platform, US, Canada, UK, March 2015
AGE 18-34

AGE 35-54

AGE 55+

37%

40%

39%

38%

44%

37%

25%

16%

24%

Canadas Total Digital Population has the highest percentage of Age 18-34 Millennials and the lowest percentage of users
55 years and older.

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Demographics Share of Time Spent by Platform

Source: comScore MMX Multi-Platform, US, Canada, UK, March 2015
TABLET

8%

61%

31%

SMARTPHONE

DESKTOP

13%

17%

14%

50%

36%

40%

37%

47%

46%

51%

30% 18%

14%

47%

39%

61%

19% 20%

11%

50%

40%

45%

28% 27%

Smartphones are now driving the highest portion of digital media time spent amongst Millennials Age 18-34, a dynamic
that is most pronounced in the US where they account for 61%, but is also true in Canada (47%) and the UK (50%).
Desktop internet usage still accounts for a big slice of internet time among those Age 55+ in all three markets.

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10

Smartphone Platform Market Share by Market

Source: comScore MobiLens, US, Canada, UK, 3 Mo. Avg. Ending March 2015*
ANDROID

4%

5%

6%

45%

40%

40%

51%

54%

54%

AGE 18-34

AGE 35-54

AGE 55+

APPLE

OTHER

7%

12%

16%

9%

15%

19%

47%

38%

32%

40%

29%

22%

46%

49%

52%

51%

56%

59%

AGE 18-34

AGE 35-54

AGE 55+

AGE 18-34

AGE 35-54

AGE 55+

Android is the smartphone OS market leader among all demo segments in the three markets except 18-34 year-old
Canadians. In the US, Android still leads among Millennials but iPhone only trails by a few percentage points.

* Canada uses single month March 2015 data.

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11

Total Digital Media Hours Spent per Visitor by Market

Source: comScore MMX Multi-Platform, US, Canada, UK, March 2015
MOBILE

DESKTOP

60.7

88.6

48.6

66.6
44.4

39.1

18-34

35+

18-34

45.8

46.0

43.3

35+

52.5

69.9

18-34

43.9

35+

Americans spend more time on digital media than Canadians and Brits across both the Millennial and Age 35+ segments,
with the disparity between mobile and desktop minutes particularly noticeable for US Millennials.

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12

Smartphone Penetration of Mobile Phone Owners by Market

Source: comScore MobiLens, US, Canada, UK, 3 Mo. Avg. Ending March 2015*

Across all markets, Millennials (18-34) have the highest smartphone penetration at 90%+. Penetration drops off
considerably among those Age 55+.

* Canada uses single month March 2015 data.

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13

Summary: Demographics

Millennials are the most mobile. 18-34 year-olds exhibit the highest
propensity to spend their internet time on mobile particularly smartphones
a demographic skew that is true across all three markets.

Millennials mobile activity is driven by their smartphone preferences. 18-34

year-olds have the highest smartphone penetration of 90%+ across the
board, and they are more likely than older age groups to use iPhones.

Mobile trumps desktop across demographics. In virtually every case, mobile

outpaces desktop for digital media time spent. With one key exception:
Canadians Age 35+ still slightly prefer desktop.

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14

Content Categories

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15

Share of Category Digital Time Spent by Market

Source: comScore MMX Multi-Platform, US, Canada, UK, March 2015
OTHER

ENTERTAINMENT

SOCIAL

GAMES

PORTALS

RETAIL

EMAIL

NEWS / INFORMATION

Social Networking and Entertainment are the top leading categories for each market. US skews heaviest in entertainment
content, while Canada is most social.

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16

Category Visitation Incidence by Market

Source: comScore MMX Multi-Platform, US, Canada, UK, March 2015
USA

CANADA

UK
100%

85%
78%
80%

63%
60%

40%

20%

0%

Weather

Instant
Messengers

Banking

Maps

Health

Sports

e-mail

Newspapers

Incidence of category visitation varies by country, with UK proving most likely to read news online while Americans are
more interested in Health and Weather. Canadian are the most likely to do their banking online.

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17

Categories that over-index for mobile minutes

Index = Share of Mobile Minutes by Category / Share of Mobile Minutes for Total Internet x 100
Source: comScore MMX Multi-Platform, US, Canada, UK, March 2015
INDEX OF HOW MOBILE

Radio

161

Photos

181

Books

177

Photos

158

Coupons

179

Incentives

174

Books

157

Online Gaming

167

Coupons

170

Incentives

157

Instant Messengers

164

Photos

168

163

Online Gaming

Coupons

149

Books

Maps

146

Incentives

150

Radio

Maps

147

Instant Messengers

146

Weather

149

Online Gaming

143

164
160
155

Instant Messengers

137

Telecommunications

Weather

135

Retail - Food

142

Gay/Lesbian

149

Entertainment - Music

132

Family & Parenting

139

Technology

146

Index = Share of Mobile Minutes by Category / Share of Mobile Minutes for Total Internet x 100. Index of 100 indicates
average mobile representation for the category. Index over 100 indicates above average mobile representation.

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18

Social Media Time Comparison

Share of time spent on social media across different platforms
Source: comScore MMX Multi-Platform, US, Canada, UK, March 2015
DESKTOP

SMARTPHONE (APP)

UK

30%

Canada

30%

USA

24%

SMARTPHONE (BROWSER)

47%

47%

57%

TABLET (APP)

TABLET (BROWSER)

4%

4%

5%

14%

4%

17%

3%

11%

3%

In all three markets, the vast majority of social media consumption occurs on mobile apps, driven largely by smartphones.
The smartphone app is the dominant social platform in the US, accounting for 57% of all social media time spent. While
its also the leading platform in Canada (47%) and the UK (47%), these countries index significantly higher than the US on
desktop and tablet for their social media usage.

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19

Summary: Content Categories

Social and Entertainment drive the highest multi-platform engagement.

Across the US, Canada and UK, Social Networking and Entertainment
combine to account for about 40% of total digital media time spent.

Content category penetration can vary widely by market. US has highest

tendency to access Maps and Health content; Canada has much higher
penetration of online banking; UK loves its digital newspapers.

Gaming, Coupons, Photos, IM are among the Most Mobile categories. Each
market boasted these content categories among their most heavily driven by
mobile. Mobile is for entertainment, sharing, communicating and other onthe-go utilities.
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20

Media

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21

Ranking of Top 10 Digital Media Properties by Market

Source: comScore MMX Multi-Platform, US, Canada, UK, March 2015
UNIQUE VISITORS (MM)

Google Sites

241.6

Yahoo Sites

219.9

Facebook

209.6

AOL, Inc.

188.5

DESKTOP-ONLY

Google Sites

40.6

Microsoft Sites

24.8

BBC Sites

40.4

Yahoo Sites

Amazon Sites

175.1

Bell Media

139.5

46.0

Facebook

eBay

CBS
Interactive

Google Sites

25.0

176.4

154.5

28.5

MOBILE-ONLY

Facebook

Microsoft Sites

Mode Media

MULTI-PLATFORM

21.7
18.4
17.1

Microsoft Sites

37.2

Amazon Sites

37.1

Yahoo Sites

33.2

AOL, Inc.

16.3

eBay

Mode Media

16.1

Mail Online / Daily

Mail

28.1
27.5

Apple Inc.

136.1

Wikimedia Foundation
Sites

16.1

Sky Sites

Comcast
NBCUniversal

134.6

Amazon Sites

16.0

Apple Inc.

31.4

27.3

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22

Ranking of 13 Properties Featuring in All Three Top 20s

Source: comScore MMX Multi-Platform, US, Canada, UK, March 2015

USA

CANADA

UK

GOOGLE SITES
YAHOO SITES
FACEBOOK
AOL inc.
MICROSOFT SITES
AMAZON SITES
MODE MEDIA
CBS INTERACTIVE
APPLE inc.
EBAY
WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION SITES

13 digital media
properties rank
among the Top 20
in all three
markets. Google
Sites is the #1
property across the
board.

LINKEDIN
TWITTER.com

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23

Ranking of Most Mobile Properties Among Top 100

% of Total Digital Audience visiting via Mobile. Source: comScore MMX Multi-Platform, US, Canada, UK, March 2015
% VISITING VIA MOBILE

Likes.com

87%

Pandora.com

85%

Myspace

84%

AccuWeather Sites

84%

Snapchat, Inc

97%

Samsung Group

84%

Snapchat, Inc

98%

Likes.com

90%

Likes.com

70%

65Twenty

Cineplex Sites

70%

ITV.com

79%

68%

Terra - Telefonica

79%

87%

iHeartRadio Network

79%

EA Games - Media
Network

Wordpress.com

79%

Linkedin

65%

Buzzfeed.com

78%

NFL Internet Group

77%

Apple Inc.

65%

Sky Sites

78%

SoundCloud.com

77%

Facebook

63%

Trinity Mirror Group

77%

Groupon

77%

SheKnows Media

61%

Facebook

77%

Wordpress.com

61%

Mail Online / Daily Mail

77%

Linkedin

76%

*Note: Snapchat fell just outside the Top 100 US properties in March 2015. Were it included, it also would have ranked at
the top of the list in the US.

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24

Avg. Mobile-Only Audience For Top 100 Digital Properties

Source: comScore MMX Multi-Platform, US, Canada, UK, March 2015
MOBILE ONLY

49%

TOTAL AUDIENCE

34%

48%

Nearly half of the average US and UK Top 100 digital media propertys audience ONLY visits via mobile platforms. In
Canada the average is about 1/3rd. This means that digital media companies who do not optimize their experience for
mobile are increasing user friction that could potentially turn away half their audience.

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25

Average Desktop vs. Total Digital Audience Reach

Source: comScore MMX Multi-Platform, US, Canada, UK, March 2015
DESKTOP

27.5%

+12.2pts

MULTI-PLATFORM

26.4%
18.5%

15.3%

28.3%

+7.9pts

+12.2pts

16.1%

The average Top 100 property extends its desktop reach by a substantial amount when accounting for incremental mobile
traffic. Multi-platform measurement of audience reach can help publishers deliver a much richer value proposition to
advertisers.

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26

Properties with > 20% Reach among Total Digital Population

Source: comScore MMX Multi-Platform, US, Canada, UK, March 2015
TOTAL DIGITAL

DESKTOP

14

SMARTPHONE

52

52

47
28

17

23

15

24

Multi-platform reporting expands the number of digital media properties with at least 20% reach by 2-4x vs. desktop
alone. The more digital media properties that can establish significant audience reach widens the consideration set of
publishers who can fulfill the needs of advertisers particularly large brand advertisers.

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27

AOLs Total Global Digital Audience

Source: comScore Custom Analytics, Worldwide, March 2015

Percentage of AOLs Total

Global Audience*

Unique Visitors (MM)

450

396.4 MM

400

50.1
33.1

350

100%
75%

300

157.8

250

49%

200
150

48.5

100

62.2

50

35%

28%

140.0

US Desktop

US Mobile

Non-US Desktop

Non-US Mobile

Total Audience

Total
WW
Digital Desktop
Audience

WW
Mobile

US
Desktop

US
Mobile

When accounting for mobile and international traffic, AOL added 256 million unique visitors to its US desktop audience,
putting its Total Audience at 396 million globally.
* Percentages do not sum to 100% due to audience overlap between platforms (desktop & mobile) and geographies
(US & WW).

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28

Mashables Total Global Digital Audience

Source: comScore Custom Analytics, Worldwide, March 2015

Percentage of Mashables
Total Global Audience*

Unique Visitors (MM)

45

38.9 MM

40
35

100%

10.1

30

7.9

25

66%

0.6

47%

20

36%

12.0

15

25%

10
5

8.9

0.9

US Desktop

US Mobile

Non-US Desktop

Non-US Mobile

Total Audience

Total
WW
Digital
Mobile
Audience

WW
Desktop

US
Mobile

US
Desktop

When accounting for mobile and international traffic, Mashables audience multiplies ~4x from 9 million desktop unique
visitors in the US to 39 million globally.
* Percentages do not sum to 100% due to audience overlap between platforms (desktop & mobile) and geographies
(US & WW).

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29

Summary: Media

Mobile expands media propertys audiences by a lot. Top media properties

often expand their desktop audience by 30% or more when accounting for
mobile. The wide majority of their audiences now visit via mobile.

Mobile-only audiences are too large to ignore. An average of 30-50% of major

digital media properties now visit only via mobile. And some mobile-first
companies can see 90%+ of their audience be mobile-only.

Global multi-platform reporting sheds light on uncounted audiences. Media

companies using global multi-platform measurement can provide a
complete, unduplicated view of their audience across platforms to
demonstrate the full size and value of their audience to advertisers.
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30

Summary & Key Findings

comScore, Inc. Proprietary.

31

Key Takeaways
1

Developed internet markets like the US, Canada and UK are now mobile-first
in terms of digital consumer behaviour.
With half or more of digital media time now happening on smartphones and tablets
and many users only accessing content via mobile, the time has come to shift to a
mobile-first mindset. But also important to remember that desktop has not declined.

Millennials are leading the shift to mobile through their high smartphone
penetration and engagement.
More than 9 in 10 Millennials have smartphones and they use them extensively,
spending an average of 50-100% more time on mobile than on desktop today.

Media content is shifting very quickly to mobile, but some is shifting much
more quickly than others.
Content categories like Maps, Weather, Photos and Social are mobile-dominant
today. Many leading and up-and-coming media companies like Facebook, Twitter,
Snapchat and Buzzfeed rely heavily on mobile to drive audiences and engagement.
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32

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please contact us at www.comscore.com/learnmore.
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For more information on the report, please contact:

Adam Lella, Senior Marketing Insights Analyst, alella@comscore.com

Andrew Lipsman, VP Marketing & Insights, alipsman@comscore.com

Ben Martin, Director Global Marketing Insights, bmartin@comscore.com

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