The world has gone mobile and people prefer to access all sorts of information through their handheld gadgets. The 2012 London Olympics this year has already taken all the necessary steps to ensure a mobile friendly following. With their mobile site intact it will give mobile users a comfortable feel keeping up-to-date from the games. Last Thursday, Veti announced that a US poll showed 40 percent of viewers will follow the 2012 London Olympics on two or more mobile devices.
Furthermore, there are the 4.9 billion viewers worldwide with access to over 5,500 hours of events, who will be engaging with friends over social media across multiple screens while soaking in the games. With a heightened awareness of the role mobile will play in Olympics coverage and viewing, Velti found that 35 percent of adults in the U.S. will turn to their tablet for news and coverage, while 27 percent will use their smartphone.
Of those using a smartphone to follow the games, 45 percent will access video clips and replays, while 41 percent plan to stream live coverage via a browser. Fifty percent of tablet users will watch videos and replays on their browser, while 45 percent will stream live coverage. This is the first year the Olympic Games will stream all 32 sports live.
“This survey reveals that a significant number of Americans are choosing to consume Olympic content on the go, and while doing so they’re overwhelmingly turning to mobile browsers,” said Krishna Subramanian, Chief Marketing Officer of Velti. “Further, the Olympic audience is becoming more fragmented. For brands that want to reach Olympic viewers, this is an important finding as it highlights the ability to look beyond TV and focus on secondary devices such as smartphones and tablets.”
If you don’t think mobile will play an important role in the games coverage, just ask Alicia Blagg who was sent a text message telling her she had been selected to compete for her country of Great Britain.
