13th February - Mobile TV use is set to surge due to strong consumer demand, with the service ranked as the number one application users want on their phone, according to a consumer behaviour study conducted by Ericsson and the #1 international news broadcaster, CNN.

The results show more than a third (34%) of respondents ranking TV as the most in-demand application and almost half (44%) of the respondents poised to adopt mobile TV in the next two years.

Key findings also revealed that photo and video messaging look to be set for wide-scale adoption as consumer pricing and functionality improves. 57% of respondents use photo technology to send and receive images on a monthly basis, making it the most popular activity. This trend is mirrored by popularity of CNN International's user-generated content service iReport, which launched in 2006. The service garnered 50,000 submissions, including mobile phone footage and images, from 189 countries worldwide in its first twelve months, driving the worldwide trend for 'citizen journalism' and giving audiences a deeper connection to network news.

According to the report, nearly one in four (24%) current mobile TV users watch daily with around half (52%) tuning in on a weekly basis. At 77%, news leads genre viewing patterns, followed by scheduled television at 48%.

"The results of this research underscores CNN's commitment to lead the rapidly changing trends that influence the way our audience consumes content", commented Didier Mormesse, SVP CNN International Ad Sales Research, Development & Audience Insight. "We've enjoyed considerable growth in our mobile business over the past few years and continue to invest in industry-leading initiatives and new services. Research like this enables us to really get under the skin of what our consumers want, so our digital strategy satisfies our audience's appetite for top quality news content when they're on the move."

Jan Wäreby, Senior Vice President and Head of Business Unit Multimedia Ericsson, says: "Although still in its infancy, mobile TV is clearly set to emerge as a popular service within the next few years. Driven by consumer appetite for the service, together with new usage patterns, mobile TV represents one of the biggest networked multimedia opportunities for cable and telecoms operators."

In 2007, CNN International unveiled its new ad supported mobile service. CNN Mobile allows users to stay informed wherever they are and even access CNN's 'In The Field' blogs from the network's international correspondents. CNN International's investment in meeting the needs of changing audience consumption habits included the implementation of a digital research group in 2007 to measure how audiences are consuming CNN across non-linear devices such as the internet, mobile and IPTV. CNN International's recent digital initiatives include content sharing partnerships with top tier web-TV programming portals and a re-branding of CNN.com. At a time when advertisers are looking for innovative multi-platform brand solutions, CNN International can provide insight into its global users, media and market trends, as well as providing accurate data to clients internationally.