MUMBAI: The Indian television industry which is pegged at a humongous Rs 37,000 crore (KPMG at India analysis 2012) may have some reason to worry if the latest study by Bangalore based independent mobile advertising network InMobi is to be believed. The study which is part of its - Mobile Media Consumption Report - claims that Indians prefer mobile phones over TV! It covered 2,004 respondents nationally.

According to this InMobi study, dual or second screening, the phenomenon of users spending time on additional electronic devices while watching TV, continues its upsurge. This implies that the number of hours a consumer spends on his mobile phone is rising rapidly and is also invading his TV viewing space. Take a look at some of the intriguing revelations.

    63 per cent of users now actively spend time on a mobile device while watching TV, compared to 26 per cent in 2012. Now, that is quite a jump.
    57 per cent users engage in social networking while watching TV.
    79 per cent of Indian mobile web users plan to conduct m-commerce in the next 12 months.
    65 per cent of Indian mobile web users are now as comfortable with mobile advertising as they are with TV or online advertising
    80 per cent noticed mobile ads on their smartphone, while a majority of 48 per cent users experience these ads on mobile apps specifically.

Observing these trends, InMobi vice president & general manager India and south east Asia Phalgun Raju stated: "The tiny mobile phone has overtaken the mighty TV in India from a media consumption perspective. With over 850 million active mobile connections in India, the mobile marketing channel presents marketers an unprecedented opportunity to engage with the always-connected consumers. The onus is now on brands and content agencies to create compelling, engaging mobile rich media to capture consumers‘ attention."

The study, developed with Decision Fuel, finds that mobile web users in India are increasingly influenced by mobile, with nearly a third of their media consumption time being spent on mobile devices.

Raju concludes: "The Indian app market is showing strong growth, as smartphone penetration continues to accelerate with lower and lower price points and mobile consumers turn to apps. Our research shows that on an average 7.1 apps are actively used by Indian consumers over a 30-day period. This has huge implications for both publishers and advertisers as they seek to garner an audience for their offerings and monetise through advertising."

Interestingly, most broadcasters are now engaging with their viewers on social networking platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and have also launched several mobile apps to seek the attention of the ever so easily distracted audience.