EUROPE: Unlike what seems to be the general belief of many actors in the mobile entertainment industry, mobile entertainment services in Europe are not yet on the brink of mass market consumer adoption. The industry still faces the challenge of attracting people considered as relatively easily convinced early adopters. Some of these early adopters have embraced mobile entertainment, but for this group of consumers to become readily penetrated, the services need to contain an even more compelling value proposition. However, several seemingly novel and innovative mobile entertainment services are to be launched during fall/winter 2003.

After convincing the early adopters there is another and different challenge for the European mobile entertainment industry to take the services to mass market by attracting the first mass market consumer group of the pragmatists, thereby crossing what is called the chasm. Here, there are three main obstacles related to discontinuity, quality of services and pricing that need to be overcome. In order for the chasm to be crossed, market strategies must be more focused on the individual needs of well defined consumer groups in different countries across Europe.

The 170-page report “Mobile Entertainment Business”, produced by the MGAIN consortium and funded by the European Commission, provides a comprehensive understanding and a fresh analysis of the European mobile entertainment industry and market. The report investigates the state and ongoing trends in the European mobile entertainment industry. In this context, it discusses key actors and gives an insight on the concept of business models and how mobile entertainment value chains can be considered from an industry-wide perspective. Further on, the European mobile entertainment market is described regarding its general characteristics, consumers, different types of services and its stage of development. Based on this research, the barriers constraining and drivers facilitating market and industry development are analysed. These drivers and barriers, and the analysis of them, reveal strategic key issues for individual companies and provide information about what can be done to stimulate industry and market development. Finally, a concluding analysis is made about how the mass market should be approached and what industry-wide areas for improvement that exist.

The report can be downloaded for free on the direct link: http://www.mgain.org/mgain-wp5-D542-delivered3.pdf

More information on the MGAIN project can be found on www.mgain.org