comScore Introduces Mobile Metrix in the UK to Measure Total Mobile Audience Behaviour Across Smartphones and Tablets

-- Mobile Metrix Reveals the UK's Top Smartphone and Tablet Destinations

LONDON, Feb. 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today announced the launch of comScore Mobile Metrix® in the United Kingdom, bringing the next generation of mobile audience measurement to the market. Mobile Metrix utilises comScore's Unified Digital Measurement' (UDM) for smartphones and tablets, combining passive on-device measurement via mobile panels with census-level data to provide detailed insights into mobile media usage across apps and mobile browsing.

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comScore is a pioneer in UK mobile measurement beginning with the comScore GSMA Mobile Media Metrics (MMM) service launched in 2009, which was the first service of its kind to provide a census-level solution for mobile media reporting. Mobile Metrix will replace GSMA MMM, which was retired at the end of 2014 under the mutual decision of comScore and the participating UK mobile operators, concluding the five-year service contract. Mobile Metrix, which advances mobile measurement to include smartphone and tablet panels in addition to census-level measurement, provides several key benefits to ensure complete and actionable measurement of the mobile ecosystem, including:

• Measurement of secure HTTPS traffic
• A stronger approach to demographic attribution
• Comprehensive measurement across app and browser usage
• Uniform measurement of both on and off-network (Wi-Fi) activity
• Streamlined production processes to support faster delivery of data
• Consistent methodology towards a global standard for mobile and multi-platform data

"With mobile consumers spending an average of 60 hours a month engaging with content on smartphones and tablets, the importance of understanding how consumers are accessing content across these devices is imperative whether you are an advertiser, agency or content owner," said Mike Read, SVP and Managing Director for comScore in the UK. "Mobile Metrix provides granular insight into audiences and their content consumption across smartphones and tablets, giving publishers and advertisers alike the data they need to optimise mobile strategies and better understand the competitive landscape."

"As consumers' media consumption continues to evolve across smartphones and tablets, media buyers and sellers need a trusted measurement source that accurately reflects today's digital environment," said Guy Phillipson, CEO of the IAB UK. "UKOM has worked closely with comScore to bring Mobile Metrix to the market, offering a robust solution that is founded on sound methodology and has been thoroughly reviewed by UKOM's technical and commercial groups."

"Audience measurement in today's complex mobile and multi-platform environment is challenging and requires diligence and innovation to accurately capture how consumers are engaging with content across devices," said Tim Cain, Managing Director of the AOP. "We applaud comScore on their continued commitment to working with the industry to advance digital measurement in the UK."

In compliance with UKOM standards, Mobile Metrix has received Development Endorsement from UKOM and is undergoing a detailed industry review process in order to achieve full UKOM endorsement as soon as possible.

Top Smartphone and Tablet Destinations in the UK
Mobile Metrix enables reporting of unduplicated audience sizes across app and browser usage, providing a comprehensive view of mobile audience reach on smartphone and tablet devices. Among iOS and Android smartphone users age 18 and older, Google Sites ranked as the top smartphone property reaching 28.3 million users across browser and apps, equivalent to 98.4 percent of the total smartphone population in January 2015. Facebook followed closely reaching more than 9 in 10 Brits, while Amazon Sites secured the third position with 22 million visitors. Nearly 21.8 million users accessed BBC Sites, making it the top news destination for smartphone users.

Analysis of the largest tablet properties found that Apple secured the top spot reaching 44.3 percent of all tablet users in the UK, owing to the popularity of iPads. Facebook and Google Sites followed closely behind, both reaching 44.1 percent of tablet users. LinkedIn, which fell outside of the smartphone top 10, reached #6 in tablet usage with more than one-third of tablet owners accessing LinkedIn on their device, while fellow social networking site Twitter ranked as the #9 most-popular tablet destination.

"As mobile devices capture a growing share of consumers' attention, it is increasingly important for advertisers to understand who these consumers are, what content they consume, and how they consume it," said Bob Wootton, Director of Media and Advertising at ISBA. "Mobile Metrix provides answers to these important questions so advertisers can make data-informed decisions to best tailor their expenditures in today's media environment."

"As one the largest destinations for mobile users, it's critical for us to benchmark and validate our performance with industry-trusted, third-party metrics," said Paul Hardcastle, Research Director, EMEA at Yahoo. "Mobile Metrix provides granular insights into the composition and behaviours of our mobile audiences and employs the same approach to measurement as other comScore services, bringing consistency across platforms and markets."

To learn more about Mobile Metrix, please contact us at learnmore@comscore.com

About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in digital measurement and analytics, delivering insights on web, mobile and TV consumer behaviour that enable clients to maximise the value of their digital investments. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.