The International Communications Market Report
Source: data.gov.uk (2019-08-28)

This annual report provides comparative international data on the communications sector. The aim of the report is to benchmark the UK communications sector against a range of comparator countries in order to assess how the UK is performing in an international context. The report compares the availability, take-up and use of services in the UK and 17 comparator countries - France, Germany, Italy, the US, Japan, Australia, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Singapore, South Korea, Brazil, Russia, India, China and Nigeria, although we focus on a smaller subset of comparator countries for some of our analysis.
This report is intended to be used in a number of ways: to benchmark the UK’s communications sector, to learn from market and regulatory developments in other countries, and to provide the context for Ofcom’s regulatory initiatives. It also contributes to the richness of the information we draw upon, better enabling us to understand how our actions and priorities can influence outcomes for citizens and consumers, and for communications markets generally.

The sectors covered include television and radio broadcasting; internet on-demand content; telecommunications and (since 2012) the postal market.

The final edition of the ICMR was in 2017.

273

International Communications
Market Report 2015

6

Internet and online
6
content

274
Contents

Section

Page
6.1 Key market developments in internet and online content
275
6.1.1
Introduction
275
6.1.2
Internet advertising
276
6.1.3
E–commerce
280
6.1.4
Mobile payments
282
6.1.5
Connected devices for daily life (internet of things)
283
Internet and devices
287
6.2
6.2.1
Introduction and key findings
287
6.2.2
Internet take-up, by technology
287
6.2.3
Internet take-up
290
6.2.4
Internet-enabled devices
293
6.2.5
Time spent online
296
Online content
299
6.3
6.3.1
Introduction
299
6.3.2
Overview
300
6.3.3
Apps
302
6.3.4
Search
304
6.3.5
Social networking
306
6.3.6
Online video
311
6.3.7
Online news
312
6.3.8
Online banking
314

275
Key market developments in internet
6.1
and online content
6.1.1 Introduction

Internet and online content: key international statistics
Figure 6.1

Source: IHS / Industry data / Ofcom / comScore
*comScore MMX, August 2015, home and work panel, persons 15+
† IHS / Industry data / Ofcom, 2015.
‡ Ofcom consumer research September-October
While the internet has fast become a feature of people’s lives across the world, the way in
which they use it and what they use it for can vary significantly. This chapter considers how
people have adopted the internet to communicate and consume content, and how this differs
between the specific countries compared in this report.
This chapter is split into three sections:

In this section (6.1) we look at internet advertising markets, e-commerce, mobile
payments and connected devices in daily life. As advertising is a significant source of
revenue online, we consider the size of internet advertising in relation to other
advertising markets. E-commerce has changed the way many businesses function
and how consumers purchase goods and services, therefore we note the variation in
e-commerce markets across countries. As a feature which has been rolled out on a
number of popular handsets, we consider mobile phone payment technology and
compare the take-up of mobile payment solutions between countries. We also
examine the take-up of a number of connected devices to manage aspects of
everyday life.

In section 6.2 we examine how people access the internet, which devices people use
to connect to the internet, the respective size of countries’ online audiences, how
long people spend online and how adoption of the internet varies by demographic.

In section 6.3 we consider what internet users do once they are online, including
which websites are most visited, which apps are most downloaded, and how this
behaviour varies by demographic and by device.
UK
FRA GER
ITA
USA JPN
AUS
ESP SWE NED POL SGP KOR BRA RUS
IND
CHN NGA
Online universe
(m)* (2015)
xx-xxxx-xxxx
51.2
26.5
204
73.7
16.0
21.5
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Fixed
broadband
connections per
100
population†
(2014)
37
40
35
23
30
39
29
28
34
41
21
33
39
11
19
1
18
0
Dedicated
mobile data
connections per
100
population†
(2014)
8
6
10
11
9
12
26
4
23
6
15
2
1
3
14
1
1
3
Internet access
via a
smartphone/
mobile phone
(%)‡ (2015)
61
59
62
82
53
60
64
83
69
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a

276
Key findings
In summary, the key findings from this section of the chapter are:

The UK and China have the greatest share of all advertising expenditure on the
internet, with 43% of all spending on advertising being online in 2014. However,
year-on-year growth was higher in China (9%) than the UK (3%).

Mobile internet advertising spend was greatest in the UK, at almost £25 per
head, followed by £23.69 in the USA and £17.66 in Australia. All comparator
countries experienced year-on-year growth in mobile internet advertising spend, in
contrast to fixed spend which declined in the USA, Japan, Australia and Spain.

The UK had the highest per capita spend on e-commerce in 2014, at £1591 per
head. E-commerce expenditure per capita in the UK was over 50% higher than in the
US, the next-highest-valued market, which had an average spend of £918 per head.

Over a third of smartphone users in the UK shop online once a week or more.
In the UK, over a third (34%) of smartphone owners claimed to use their device to
shop online at least weekly or more often. Online shopping with a smartphone at
least weekly was most common in the US, where 38% claimed to do so.

The use of connected devices to manage daily life is highest in Italy and the
US. Smartphone users in the US and Italy were most likely to claim to have used
connected devices in the home. In both countries, around a third of smartphone
owners claimed to have used their device for monitoring their fitness.
6.1.2 Internet advertising
The internet’s share of total advertising expenditure is highest in the UK and China
In 2014, the internet accounted for 43% of total advertising expenditure in the UK, equal with
China (43%) and just ahead of Sweden (42%). The countries with the lowest share of
spending on internet advertising as a proportion of all advertising expenditure in 2014 were
India (6%), Singapore (14%) and Brazil (21%).
The fastest year-on-year growth was seen in China (9%) followed by Sweden (5%), while
internet advertising share in the UK grew by 3% in the same period. There was growth in the
internet’s share of total advertising expenditure in all but two of our comparator countries:
India and Spain, where internet share remained flat.
Brazil had the highest five-year compound annual growth rate (2009-14), at 36%, starting at
a relatively low base, while Singapore came second (27%). Of our comparator countries,
only India had a negative five-year compound annual growth rate (-4%).

277

Internet share of total advertising spend
Figure 6.2

Source: Warc data (www.warc.com)
Please refer to notes on adspend data for further detail and source information.
http://www.warc.com/NotesOnAdspendData
Sweden, followed by the UK, had the highest fixed internet advertising expenditure
per head in 2014
Internet advertising is spending by advertisers on paid search, banner/display, classified,
video and other online formats such as email and sponsorship (including mobile advertising).
Fixed internet advertising is a subset of internet advertising and refers to spend on adverts
viewed on fixed or ‘wired’ devices, predominantly through web browsers on laptop and
desktop computers. Although these devices could access the internet through a mobile
rather than a fixed broadband connection, wired advertising remains distinct from mobile
advertising, which is advertising viewed on a mobile handset.
Mobile advertising includes all advertising delivered directly to the mobile device, and
includes search and display advertising as well as SMS/MMS advertising formats. Mobile
display advertising can also be delivered to the device’s browser or to a mobile app.
Sweden’s spend per head on fixed internet advertising in 2014 was just over £92, the
highest among our comparator countries (Figure 6.3). The UK had the second highest
spend, at £84, with Australia coming in third, at £82. Australia’s spend per head decreased
16% year on year, but this could be attributable to factors such as significant currency
fluctuations and a substitution for expenditure on mobile internet advertising, as indicated by
strong growth in this sector (see Figure 6.5).
0%
Internet share of all advertising spend (%)
0
10
20
30
40
50
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
UK
SWE
NED
AUS
USA
FRA
GER
ITA
ESP
JPN
5 year
CAGR
YoY
Change
3%
5%
3%
4%
3%
2%
2%
3%
2%
17%
10%
13%
13%
12%
14%
21%
12%
7%
9%
Internet share of all advertising spend (%)
0
10
20
30
40
50
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
CHN
KOR
POL
RUS
BRA
SGP
IND
5 year
CAGR
YoY
Change
9%
25%
4%
9%
1%
8%
3%
20%
5%
36%
3%
27%
0%
-4%

278
In the BRIC countries128, Nigeria, Poland, Singapore and South Korea, there were varying
degrees of expenditure on internet advertising per head, from just £0.20 in India to nearly
£44 in South Korea. Some countries with low levels of expenditure per head in absolute
terms experienced high levels of year-on-year percentage point growth (India 16%, China
15% and Nigeria 20%).

Fixed internet advertising expenditure per head: 2010-2014
Figure 6.3

Source: Ofcom analysis based on data from PwC Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2015-
2019 @ pwc.com/outlook. Interpretation and manipulation of data are solely Ofcom’s responsibility.
Population figures from Ofcom/HIS. All figures expressed in nominal terms.
Search advertising continues to account for a large share of fixed internet advertising
expenditure
Generally, there was little or no change in the share of expenditure on different forms of
online advertising across most of our comparator countries between 2013 and 2014 (Figure
6.4). However, there were some exceptions: in Australia spending on classified advertising
increased, relative to other forms of advertising, from 20% to 26%, while in Russia paid
search’s advertising share increased from 68% to 72%.
There was notable variation between countries, with different proportions of revenue
attributed to different advertising forms. Yet, in over half of the comparator countries, more
was spent on search advertising than on other types. The respective strengths of internet

128 Brazil, Russia, India and China.
84.29
44.30
51.36
19.02
70.39
34.25
82.10
15.60
65.92
92.22
0
20
40
60
80
100
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
NED
SWE
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Internet advertising spend per head (£)
5%
16%
0%
3%
-4%
-8%
-16%
-2%
5%
8%
YoY
Growth
11.73
26.44
43.75
4.24
10.01
0.20
6.56
0.09
0
20
40
60
80
100
POL
SGP
KOR
BRA
RUS
IND
CHN
NGA
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Internet advertising spend per head (£)
5%
52%
31%
-12%
5%
16%
15%
20%
YoY
Growth

279
classified, display, search and video advertising are likely to be the result of a number of
country-specific factors including broadband penetration, broadband speeds, and the
strength of other media competing for advertising spend.
Video advertising continued to account for a small share of fixed internet advertising
expenditure. In most of our comparator countries, video growth was flat, or rose by one
percentage point. Online video display advertising can take one of two forms. The first is
similar to display advertising on websites, but in the form of an audio-visual advert rather
than a static image or series of animated images, and like banner advertising, can sit in the
page alongside other content. The second is similar to traditional spot television advertising,
where adverts are shown either before, after, or mid-way through an online video, and the
advert is embedded within the video player.
Online classified advertising is brief adverts, usually in small print, in an online newspaper,
magazine or similar publication. In 2014, the US was the only country in which expenditure
on video advertising was greater than spending on classified advertising (at 9% and 7%
respectively). Classified advertising had a much smaller share of expenditure in the US than
in other markets, such as France and Australia, where it accounts for over a quarter of
advertising expenditure.

Fixed internet advertising expenditure, by category: 2013-2014
Figure 6.4

Source: Ofcom analysis based on data from PwC Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2015-
2019 @ pwc.com/outlook. Interpretation and manipulation of data are solely Ofcom’s responsibility
UK had the highest mobile expenditure per head in 2014 (£25), closely followed by the
US (£24)
Of our comparator countries, the UK had the highest mobile advertising expenditure per
head in 2014, at nearly £25, closely followed the US, at nearly £24. Year on year to 2014,
mobile advertising expenditure per head in the UK grew by 57%, in the US by 75% and in
Australia by 116%.
In the four years to 2014, mobile advertising spending per head in the UK grew by over £20
in absolute terms. But in some other countries in Europe - Italy at £2 per head, Spain at
£1.17 per head, the Netherlands at £0.58 per head - growth was far less substantial. The
strong performance of mobile advertising in the UK, the US and Australia was not
necessarily related to take-up of smartphones and the mobile internet, as Spain and Italy
had higher levels of take-up (see section 1.5.4). The higher spend may be due to a
combination of factors, including established e-commerce and high overall advertising spend
per head.
55
53
41
44
50
50
36
34
51
51
33
32
51
44
55
53
58
61
44
47
36
36
33
35
32
33
62
60
68
72
41
44
45
47
23
23
26
25
27
27
43
43
33
33
41
42
26
23
31
30
25
23
26
26
43
43
48
47
48
49
25
22
24
20
36
36
32
34
17
19
28
26
18
18
13
13
7
7
26
25
20
26
9
11
15
14
29
25
16
15
15
14
18
15
10
13
6
5
17
16
20
15
5
5
5
5
4
5
8
9
8
9
1
1
4
7
4
5
2
5
5
3
3
2
2
3
5
2
3
6
5
3
4
0
20
40
60
80
100
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
2013
2014
UK
FRA GER ITA USA JPN AUS ESP NED SWE POL SGP KOR BRA RUS IND CHN
Search
Display
Classified
Video
Proportion of internet advertising revenue (%)

280
Some less economically developed countries saw proportionally high levels of year-on-year
growth to 2014, but spending on internet advertising per head remains low in absolute terms.
Nigeria experienced growth of 139% and India 50%, but just £0.03 and £0.33 was spent on
internet advertising per head in each country, respectively.

Mobile internet advertising expenditure, per head: 2010-2014
Figure 6.5

Source: Ofcom analysis based on data from PwC Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2015-
2019 @ pwc.com/outlook. Interpretation and manipulation of data are solely Ofcom’s responsibility.
Population figures from Ofcom/HIS. All figures expressed in nominal terms.
6.1.3 E–commerce
The UK had the highest per-capita spend on e-commerce among our comparator
countries in 2014
The UK has a highly-developed e-commerce market, with the value of business-to-consumer
(B2C) e-commerce at £1591 per head in 2014. This is substantially higher than the next
highest-valued markets: the US (£918 per head), and Sweden (£833 per head). The UK’s
high per-capita spend on e-commerce may be due to a combination of factors, including
trust in the postal service, a traditionally strong appetite for catalogue shopping and high use
of debit and credit cards.
The value of e-commerce per head was relatively low in Italy (£175) and Spain (£289),
despite high proportions smartphone users claiming to shop online regularly (Figure 6.7).
24.77
1.06
2.80
2.00
23.69
6.95
17.66
1.17
0.58
13.37
0
5
10
15
20
25
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
NED
SWE
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Internet advertising spend per head (£)
57%
29%
34%
20%
75%
13%
116%
51%
16%
64%
YoY
Growth
0.08
3.23
11.11
0.68
0.33
0.01
0.82
0.03
0
5
10
15
20
25
POL
SGP
KOR
BRA
RUS
IND
CHN
NGA
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Internet advertising spend per head (£)
32%
37%
23%
22%
42%
50%
28%
139%
YoY
Growth

281

Value of B2C e-commerce, per head: 2014
Figure 6.6

Source: European B2C e-commerce report 2015, Ecommerce Europe
Notes: Values converted from Euros to British Sterling (£1 = €1.23916319291147). Population figures
from Ofcom/IHS. *China also includes C2C goods and services.
Nearly two-fifths of smartphone users in the US and over a third of smartphone users
in the UK shop online once a week or more
As a proportion of all smartphone users, the US had the greatest share of those who use
their phone to shop online many times a day, at 8%, while the countries with the largest
proportion of respondents who have used their smartphone to shop online were the US
(72%) and Italy (75%)129. Two-thirds of UK smartphone owners claimed to have used their
device to shop online (66%).
In the UK, over a third (34%) of smartphone owners claimed to use their device to shop
online at least weekly or more often, while in the US, 38% claimed to do so. France (16%),
Germany (27%) and Spain (20%) had a significantly smaller share of their smartphone users
claiming to shop online weekly or more often.
We consider smartphone take-up of our comparator countries in section 1.5.4 on page 60.

129 Some countries have a relatively high proportion of respondents who claim to shop online, but
relatively low expenditure on ecommerce per head. This might be because buying low-value items
online is more common in some countries than in others, or because some respondents might
interpret ‘shopping online’ as including time spent browsing for things to buy.
1,591
714
698
175
918
648
546
289
672
746
138
277
113
239
0
400
800
1,200
1,600
2,000
UK
FRA GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP NED SWE POL KOR RUS CHN*
Value per head (£)

282

Use of smartphone to shop online
Figure 6.7

Source: Ofcom consumer research September-October 2015
Base: All respondents with a mobile phone who use a smartphone, UK=631, FRA=602, GER=688,
ITA=759, USA=501, JAP=693, AUS=598, ESP=780, SWE=695
Q.27 How often, if at all, do you use your main mobile phone to do each of the following? Shop online
6.1.4 Mobile payments
More than a third of smartphone owners in the UK and two-fifths of smartphone
owners in Italy have used their device to make a payment
In the UK, more than a third (36%) of smartphone owners have used their device to make a
mobile payment. Mobile payments are most popular in Italy, where they are used by 44% of
smartphone owners. A mobile payment is defined as a point-of-sale purchase of goods or
services with a mobile device. Examples include using an app, mobile wallet or premium-
rate text, but exclude paying via a card on a supplier’s website that is accessed on a mobile
device.
Across all of the comparator countries, a minority of smartphone users had made a mobile
payment. Smartphone users in France were the least likely to have used their device to
make payments (21%), followed by a quarter (25%) of smartphone users in Germany. In
most comparator countries, the largest segment of those who use mobile payments made
them less than once a month.
As a proportion of all respondents, rather than of smartphone users, Italy (23%), the US
(22%) and the UK (21%) had the highest proportion of respondents who said they had used
their smartphone to make a payment.
Respondents (%)
4
2
2
5
8
1
3
2
1
7
4
5
6
8
2
6
4
3
23
10
20
20
22
12
18
14
7
21
20
20
27
18
24
20
23
20
11
18
19
17
16
18
20
25
27
66
54
66
75
72
57
67
68
58
0
20
40
60
80
100
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
Less than once a
month
At least once a
month
At least once a
week
A few times a day
Many times a day

283

Use of smartphone to make payments
Figure 6.8
Source: Ofcom consumer research September-October 2015
Base: All respondents with a mobile phone, UK=915, FRA=881, GER=931, ITA=945, USA=784,
JAP=830, AUS=824, ESP=923, SWE=918
Q.27 How often, if at all, do you use your main mobile phone to do each of the following? Pay for
goods or services (i.e. using an app/mobile wallet, QR code, NFC, premium rate text etc. and not
simply paying via a card on a supplier’s website)
6.1.5 Connected devices for daily life (internet of things)
Smartphone owners in Italy are the most likely to have used their phone for home and
car control and monitoring
Although take-up of home and car control and monitoring services was not very high in any
of our comparator countries, differences by nation in the appetite for these services are
evident.
In Italy, 23% smartphone users said they had used an app on their smartphone to check
their gas and electricity use, compared to 13% in the UK and 6% in France. Only 9% of
smartphone users in the UK had adjusted their lighting using their phone, compared to over
a fifth (22%) in Italy.
The proportion of smartphone owners who had turned on the heating or air-conditioning in
their car using their phone was 17% among Italian respondents, compared to 8% in the UK.
Respondents (%)
3
3
6
6
2
2
5
4
3
6
5
3
4
3
3
12
4
5
11
11
7
12
8
6
8
6
8
8
7
9
8
10
10
8
8
10
13
7
11
10
12
16
36
25
27
44
36
31
36
35
36
0
20
40
60
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
Less than once a
month
At least once a
month
At least once a
week
A few times a day
Many times a day
21
11
10
23
22
11
18
14
9
NET: at least once
a week/a few
times a day/many
times a day

284

Use of smartphones for selected home and car control and monitoring
Figure 6.9
activities

Source: Deloitte Global Mobile Consumer Survey 2015
Base: All adults who have a smartphone (UK N=3039, FRA N=1407, GER N=1491, JPN N=952, ITA
N=1589, USA N= 1458, AUS N=1582, ESP N=1755)
Q: How frequently, if at all, do you do each of the following on your phone? (ever)
Smartwatch use remains relatively low in our comparator countries
A smartwatch is a computerised device that closely resembles a wristwatch but has
functionality beyond timekeeping. Smartwatches are designed - either on their own or when
paired with a smartphone – to provide features like connecting to the internet, running mobile
apps and making calls.
Ofcom research conducted in October 2015 found that the take-up of smartwatches was
relatively low across countries: take-up was less than 10% across all countries, and in the
majority of countries it was 5% or lower.
‘Wearable fitness/ health technology’ includes wearable devices that monitor health/fitness,
such as heart-rate monitors and sleep trackers. Take-up of wearable fitness/health
technology was highest in Japan, with 12% of respondents claiming to use a wearable
fitness/health device. The UK (9%) and Italy (9%) were among the countries with the highest
levels of take-up of wearable fitness/health devices.
Respondents (%)
10
13
9
8
7
6
8
5
11
11
13
9
20
23
22
17
14
14
13
12
5
9
5
5
12
13
13
11
16
15
15
12
0
5
10
15
20
25
Changed the room
temperature via an
app
Checked the
electricity or gas
usage
Adjusted the lighting Turned On Heating /
air-conditioning in the
car
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP

285

Use of wearable devices
Figure 6.10
Source: Ofcom consumer research September – October 2015
Base: All respondents, UK=1006, FRA=1003, GER=1007, ITA=1003, USA=1009, JPN=1006,
AUS=1000, ESP=1002, SWE=1004 Q.4a Which of the following devices do you personally use? 1)
smartwatch (e.g. Apple watch) 2) wearable fitness / health monitor that connects with your mobile
phone, tablet or laptop (e.g. Fitbit, Garmin).
Monitoring diet and fitness on a smartphone is most common in the US and Italy
Monitoring diet and fitness using a smartphone has become possible through the availability
of apps such as Moves and Fitbit. Apps can perform a range of functions, such as
monitoring steps taken and calories consumed, and may connect to wearable devices and/or
phone sensors.
The use of a smartphone to monitor fitness was highest in US and Italy, where 35% and
33% of smartphone owners had used their device to monitor their fitness, compared with
16% in France and 17% in Japan. In the UK, 24% of smartphone owners had monitored
their fitness.
The US and Italy had the highest proportion of smartphone owners who had used their
device to monitor their diet, at 30% and 28%, respectively. This was higher than in the UK
(21%), France (11%) and Japan (9%), where it was lowest.
5
4
4
6
5
2
5
5
3
9
2
4
9
8
12
8
5
5
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
Smartwatch (e.g. Apple watch)
Wearable fitness / health
monitor that connects with your
mobile phone, tablet or laptop
(e.g. Fitbit, Garmin)
Respondents (%)
11%
5%
7%
11%
11%
13%
11%
9%
7%
Net use of smartwatch and/or
wearable fitness/health monitor

286

Use of smartphone for diet and fitness monitoring
Figure 6.11

Source: Deloitte Global Mobile Consumer Survey 2015
Base: All adults who have a smartphone (UK N=3039, FRA N=1407, GER N=1491, JPN N=952, ITA
N=1589, USA N= 1458, AUS N=1582, ESP N=1755)
Q: How frequently, if at all, do you do each of the following on your phone?
2
1
2
3
5
2
3
2
4
2
3
5
7
3
5
3
5
4
6
8
9
3
6
8
3
3
4
5
5
1
4
5
4
3
5
6
5
4
6
6
6
4
5
7
5
4
6
6
24
16
25
33
35
17
29
29
0
10
20
30
40
UK FRAGER ITA USA JPN AUS ESP
%
Monitor my fitness level
Monitor my calorie intake and diet
2
1
2
3
4
1
2
1
2
1
2
4
6
1
3
2
4
2
3
7
6
1
3
4
2
2
3
5
3
1
4
3
4
2
4
5
5
2
5
4
6
3
5
6
6
4
6
6
21
11
20
28
30
9
23
21
UK FRA GER ITA USA JPN AUS ESP
Only ever used
it once or twice
Less often than
once a week
Once a week
Several times a
week
Once or twice
per day
Several times
per day
Respondents (%)

287
Internet and devices
6.2
6.2.1 Introduction and key findings
Internet-enabled devices play a large part in defining the consumer experience and the
range of content, communications and services accessed on the internet. In this section we
examine internet access and the popularity of various devices.

Section 6.2.2 considers the technology used by consumers to access fixed and
mobile internet.


Section 6.2.3 explores how internet take-up differs by age and gender among our
comparator countries.


Section 6.2.4 examines take-up of internet-enabled devices and how this varies by
country;


Section 6.2.5 delves into the length of time spent online on laptop and desktop
computers by internet users in a selection of comparator countries.
Key findings
The key findings from this section of the chapter are:

Households in the UK and France are the most likely to have a fixed broadband
connection. Ninety-four per cent of households with broadband have a fixed
broadband connection in the UK and France, compared with 77% in Italy, where
households are least likely to have a fixed broadband connection.

Active audiences using laptops/ desktops are getting older in the comparator
countries. The highest proportion of laptop and desktop users aged over 55 was in
Australia, at 30%, and in the UK, over-55s made up a quarter of users.

Use of tablets grew in the majority of comparator countries. In five of the nine
comparator countries, the use of tablets grew year on year to 2015, including in the
UK, where take-up of tablets stands at 44%.

UK tablet users spend nearly 32 hours per month browsing. In the UK in 2015,
tablet users spent an average of nearly 32 hours browsing the internet in August
2015. This was slightly exceeded by US tablet users, who spent over 23 minutes
longer browsing in the same month.

US internet users spend the most time browsing online on a laptop or desktop,
at 34 hours per month, followed by the UK, at 33 hours per month. The least
time spent browsing was in Japan, at 18 hours per month.
6.2.2 Internet take-up, by technology
Online households in the UK and France are the most likely to have a fixed broadband
connection
Among households with any broadband connection in the comparator countries, households
in France and the UK were the most likely to have a fixed broadband connection (94%).

288
France had the highest proportion of those with broadband to have only a fixed connection,
at 81%.
Italy had the highest proportion of mobile-only households in October 2015, at 23%, as well
as the highest proportion of households with both fixed and mobile broadband (31%)130.
Having access to both mobile and fixed broadband connections was also popular in Spain
(at 27% of households). The relatively low take-up of fixed broadband in Italy, and the
corresponding high take-up of mobile broadband, might be due to a number of factors, such
as the lack of widespread high quality infrastructure and the absence of a cable network.

Take-up of fixed and mobile broadband
Figure 6.12

Source: Ofcom consumer research September-October 2015
Base: All respondents with broadband, UK=915, FRA=930, GER=842, ITA=861, USA=723, JPN=740,
AUS=894, ESP=879, SWE=915
Q.3b Which of the following services do you have in your home?
comScore
The UK Online Measurement Company (UKOM) was formed in 2009 with a mandate from
the advertising industry to establish measurement standards for digital media. In 2011,
comScore was appointed as the sole data supplier for UKOM on a three-year contract from
January 2013.
This chapter predominantly draws from three comScore sources. For analysis of laptop and
desktop computer internet activity we use comScore MMX, which employs comScore’s
Unified Digital Measurement methodology, explained below. The comScore MMX panel
excludes Apple Mac computers, but census-level activity is captured from both PCs and
Apple Macs. comScore MMX is consistent across the six comparator countries for which
data are available: France, Germany, Italy, the US, Japan, Australia and Spain.
For analysis of mobile internet activity we use comScore Mobile Metrix. In the US and the
UK comScore Mobile Metrix uses comScore’s Unified Digital Measurement methodology,
with panels of smartphone (iOS and Android handsets) and tablet users (iOS tablets only in

130 Mobile broadband access via a dongle, data-card, mobile Wi-Fi modem or data-only SIM.
Proportion of respondents with broadband in the home (%)
77
81
70
46
68
77
62
57
65
17
13
14
31
14
13
19
27
16
6
6
16
23
18
10
19
16
19
0
20
40
60
80
100
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
Fixed broadband only
Fixed and mobile broadband
Mobile broadband only

289
the UK, but iOS and Android tablets in the US). However, France, Germany, Italy, Japan,
Australia and Spain comScore Mobile Metrix is informed only from census-level activity on
publishers’ digital content.
Finally, mobile phone user behaviour measurement is supplemented by consumer research,
comScore MobiLens Plus, for the US and the UK, and comScore MobiLens for France,
Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain. The key differences between MobiLens Plus and
MobiLens are: the former reports on tablets as well as smartphones, has an enhanced
survey, and is aligned with Mobile Metrix data.
Unified Digital Measurement
comScore’s Unified Digital Measurement (UDM) methodology combines panel and census
measurement techniques to measure digital audiences. UDM uses comScore’s global
measurement panel to determine audience reach and demographics. Census-level activity is
captured from publishers’ digital content, such as on websites, videos, and computer and
mobile applications. comScore combines census-level data with those captured from the
panel, to help provide a more accurate view of audiences and their consumption habits. This
approach allows comScore to capture the most accurate consumption activity from
publishers, and attribute this to audience demographics in a way that is not affected by
cookie deletion, blocking, or rejection.
Metrics
Throughout this report we refer to a number of metrics, defined below:
Unique audience – the total number of unique persons who visited a specific website or
used a specific application at least once in a given month. Persons visiting the same website
more than once in the month are counted only once.
Active audience – the total number of people who visited any website or used any
application at least once in a given month.
Digital audience – the active audience across all platforms (laptop/desktop computers,
mobile phones and tablets, for those websites that are tagged in comScore’s census
network).
Active reach – the unique audience of a website as a proportion of the active audience.
Time spent per month – the average time spent browsing a website per unique visitor per
month (excludes time spent watching online video and listening to streamed music).
Dictionary
Each of the entities reported by comScore are attributed to a level in comScore’s Client
Focused Dictionary. Several entities can exist within one website (e.g. BBC Sport and BBC
iPlayer) and comScore’s dictionary defines how these entities are structured and related to
each other. It is ‘client-focused’ because comScore’s clients define how their websites
appear in reports, according to this dictionary. All comScore reports use the same six-tier
dictionary structure as explained below:
Property [P] - The highest level of reporting in the Client Focus structure; Properties
represent all Full Domains (i.e. felmont.com), Pages (i.e. sports.felmont.com/tennis),
Applications or Online Services, under common ownership or majority ownership for a single

290
legal entity. A Property may also contain digital media content that is not majority-owned but
has been legally signed over for reporting purposes by the majority owner.
Media Title [M] - A Media Title is an editorially- and brand-consistent collection of content in
the digital landscape that provides the marketplace with a view of online user behaviour.
This may represent a domain, a group of domains, an online service or application.
Channel [C], SubChannel [S], Group [G] and SubGroup [SG] - Within a Media Title there
may be grouped URLs of editorially consistent content that make up a Channel. For some of
the largest Media Titles, Channels themselves may be broad, and Subchannels, Groups and
Subgroups within the larger Channels may prove useful for categorisation within the
comScore Dictionary.131
6.2.3 Internet take-up
Active audiences using laptops /desktops increased in the US and the UK in 2015 but
decreased in Spain
In the UK, there was a modest increase of 0.1 million in the active internet audience using
laptops and desktops. This is in line with modest changes in the relatively mature fixed
broadband markets in almost all of the comparator countries (0); there are fewer new
adopters likely to go online. In the US, there was a more significant increase of 7 million
active users (an increase of 3.5%).
In Spain between August 2014 and August 2015, the active audience using laptops and
desktops fell from 23.5 million to 21.5 million. This decline may be a result of an increase in
mobile-only households, and the mature laptop and desktop market; there are few homes
not online that are likely to get online in the near future.
The numbers of laptop and desktop active users remained stable in France (37.0 million)
and Japan (73.7 million). In France, this may be attributable to levelling-off; there had been
consecutive decreases over the three previous years132.

131 “Glossary – Key Terms for comScore Dictionary”, comScore.
132 Active audience for Total Internet is calculated from enumeration surveys and not directly from
comScore’s panel. Consequently, year-on-year changes in total internet audience are not a reflection
of panel-specific behaviour.

291

Active audience on laptop and desktop computers: 2012-2015
Figure 6.13

Source: comScore MMX, work and home panel, August 2012 to August 2015, persons 15+
Note: Changes in comScore methodology occurred in September 2014 for Italy, in July 2014 for
Germany and in April 2014 for Australia. Data before these dates should be treated with caution and
should not be compared directly with current data.
Laptop and desktop active audiences are getting older in our comparator countries
Laptop and desktop internet users aged 55 and over made up the largest proportion of users
in most of our comparator countries (Figure 6.14). In the UK a quarter of users (25%) were
over 55, compared to 26% in France and 28% in the US. In Australia, 30% of laptop and
desktop users were over 55, the highest proportion among the comparator countries133.
Spain and Italy had the highest proportions of laptop and desktop internet users aged under
45 in August 2014. Sixty-two per cent in Spain, and 59% in Italy, were under-45s.
The US had the highest proportion of laptop and desktop internet users aged 15-24, at 20%.
In the UK, the active audience was more evenly distributed between the age groups, with
25% aged 55 and over, and the remaining age groups accounting for 18-20% each.

133 Changes in the size and composition of active audiences within countries must be viewed within
the context of population change. In many economically developed countries, there is an ageing
population:
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/trends/Concise%20Report%20on
%20the%20World%20Population%20Situation%202014/en.pdf
188
197
197
204
38.9
43.2
52.0
28.6
73.5
14.1
22.0
39.2
42.6
53.1
29.7
73.7
14.5
23.0
39.7
37.0
52.0
30.9
73.7
15.9
23.5
39.8
37.0
51.2
26.5
73.7
16.0
21.5
0
15
30
45
60
75
0
50
100
150
200
250
USA
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
JPN*
AUS
ESP
2012
2013
2014
2015
Online audience (millions)

292

Active audience on a laptop or desktop computer, by age: 2014-2015
Figure 6.14

Source: comScore MMX, home and work panel, August 2014 and August 2015, persons 15+
Note: Changes in comScore methodology occurred in September 2014 for Italy, in July 2014 for
Germany and in April 2014 for Australia. Data before these dates should be treated with caution and
should not be compared directly with current data.
Unlike Japan and Italy, there is little difference by age in the UK between male and
female laptop and desktop users
In Japan and Italy, male laptop and desktop internet users were more likely than female
users to be aged 55 or over in August 2015 (Figure 6.15). In Japan, 31% of the male laptop
and desktop active audience was in this age group, as was 21% in Italy; in both countries
there were proportionally fewer females in this age group. In contrast, the age breakdown by
gender was almost equal in the UK and France.
In most of the comparator countries, there was no difference, or a difference of only 1%,
between the genders among 15 to 24 year olds. The exceptions were the US and France,
where males constituted 2% more than females of the share of online audience among 15-
24s.

Active audience on a laptop or desktop computer, by age and gender:
Figure 6.15
August 2015
Source: comScore MMX, home and work panel, August 2015, persons 15+
Note: Changes in comScore methodology occurred in September 2014 for Italy, in July 2014 for
Germany and in April 2014 for Australia. Data before these dates should be treated with caution and
should not be compared directly with current data.
19
19
18
19
16
16
17
17
20
20
15
15
17
17
17
16
19
20
19
18
18
19
20
19
18
17
17
17
19
18
23
20
19
18
20
19
18
19
23
23
18
17
22
22
18
18
26
26
19
19
18
18
24
24
22
23
18
18
18
18
17
17
19
21
25
25
25
26
24
23
17
18
27
28
28
28
29
30
15
17
0
20
40
60
80
100
2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
15-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55+
Share of online audience (%)
19
18
20
18
15
16
16
17
21
19
15
15
18
17
16
17
20
20
19
18
18
19
18
20
17
17
15
18
19
18
19
20
18
19
19
20
18
19
21
24
17
17
21
23
18
18
25
26
18
19
17
19
23
24
24
23
18
18
18
19
16
17
20
21
25
24
25
26
25
22
21
16
27
28
31
25
30
29
19
15
0
20
40
60
80
100
M
F
M
F
M
F
M
F
M
F
M
F
M
F
M
F
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
15-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55+
Share of online audience (%)

293
Japan had the oldest mobile internet users among the comparator countries
The over-55s make up a third (33%) of Japan’s mobile internet users – a significantly larger
proportion than in any of the other comparator countries. The next highest share of mobile
internet users aged over 55 was in Spain, at 23%.
The largest share of mobile internet users aged 13-17 was in France, at 10%, while the
smallest share was in Spain, at 7%.
The largest group of mobile internet users by age varied across countries, although in no
country was the largest group the 13-17s or 45-54s. In the UK, the largest group by age was
the 25-34s, at 22%, compared with the 35-44s, at 20%.

Mobile internet users, by age
Figure 6.16

Source: comScore MobiLens, August 2013 (three-month average), August 2014 (three-month
average), and August 2015 (three month average), mobile internet users aged 13+
Note: *For August 2015 (three-month average) UK and US results are from comScore MobiLens Plus
6.2.4 Internet-enabled devices
The UK had the highest proportion of people who use a connected TV to access the
internet
A TV that is connected to the internet can be connected either directly (a smart TV) or
indirectly via another device, such as a set-top box or a games console.
Ofcom research conducted in September – October 2015 found that 23% of respondents in
the UK accessed the internet through TVs with an internet connection – the highest of all the
comparator countries. However, accessing the internet through internet-connected TVs
remains a relatively niche activity across countries. Fewer respondents in France and
Germany (12% and 17% respectively), claimed to access the internet using a connected TV.
Figure 1.12 shows overall connected TV take-up, which is significantly higher than those
who use connected TVs to access the internet.
In all the comparator countries, laptops and netbooks remain the most popular devices
through which to access the internet. The country with the highest proportion of respondents
accessing the internet via a laptop or netbook was Germany (92%), while the lowest
proportion was in Japan (84%). This relatively low proportion might be due to a number of
factors including the advanced functionality of feature phones, historically popular in Japan.
9
8
9
10 10 10
9
8
8
8
7
8
8
7
8
7
7
6
6
6
7
15 15 15 16 15 14 15 13 12 13 11 12 16 16 15 10 10 10 11 10 10
22 21 22 22 21 20 21 20 20 20 18 20 22 21 20
17 16 15 20 19 18
19 18 20 18 19 18 18 18 17 22 21 23 19 19 18
19 19 19
23 23 23
16 17 17 14 15 16 18 19 20 17 19 19 17 17 17
16 16 16
17 18 19
20 21 17 20 20 22 20 21 23 20 24 17 18 20 21 31 32 33 23 25 23
0
20
40
60
80
100
2013
2014
*2015
2013
2014
2015
2013
2014
2015
2013
2014
2015
2013
2014
*2015
2013
2014
2015
2013
2014
2015
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
ESP
55+
45-54
35-44
25-34
18-24
13-17
Mobile internet users 13+ (%)

294

Fixed devices used to access the internet
Figure 6.17

Source: Ofcom consumer research September-October 2015
Base: All respondents, UK=1006, FRA=1003, GER=1007, ITA=1003, USA=1009, JPN=1006,
AUS=1000, ESP=1002, SWE=1004
Q.7a Which of the following devices do you use to access the internet?
Spain leads in smartphone take-up, while in the UK over two-thirds of respondents
claim to have smartphones
The country with the highest take-up of smartphones was Spain, at 83%, followed by Italy
(79%) and Japan (77%).
Just over two-thirds of respondents in the UK (67%) claimed to use a smartphone.
Across the majority of the comparator countries, two-thirds of people personally use a
smartphone; smartphone use has increased significantly year on year in four of the nine
comparator countries, and in no country was there a decline in take-up.

Take-up of smartphones
Figure 6.18

Source: Ofcom consumer research September-October 2015
Base: All respondents, UK=1006, FRA=1003, GER=1007, ITA=1003, USA=1009, JPN=1006,
AUS=1000, ESP=1002, SWE=1004
Q.4a Which of the following devices do you personally use?
Note: Direction of arrow indicates a statistically significant difference compared to last year.
69
43
23
67
52
12
68
54
17
66
54
18
61
56
19
56
44
9
66
51
19
69
57
19
66
44
21
0
20
40
60
80
100
Laptop/ Netbook
Desktop
A TV connected to the internet
either directly (Smart TV) or via
another device such as a set-top
box or a games console
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
Respondents (%)
67
66
70
79
57
77
69
83
74
0
20
40
60
80
100
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
Respondents (%)

295
Take-up of tablets has grown in the majority of comparator countries
In five of the nine comparator countries, the use of tablets has grown significantly year on
year. Spain had the highest proportion of tablet users, at 52%. The UK was one of five
countries in which the use of tablets increased; up by 44%. Tablet use was also common in
Australia, with 42% of respondents claiming to personally use one.
Fewer respondents claimed to use tablets in the US, at 34%, and less still in Japan (25%).

Personal use of tablets
Figure 6.19

Source: Ofcom consumer research September – October 2015
Base: All respondents, UK=1006, FRA=1003, GER=1007, ITA=1003, USA=1009, JPN=1006,
AUS=1000, ESP=1002, SWE=1004
Q.4a Which of the following devices do you personally use?
Note: Direction of arrow indicates a statistically significant difference compared to last year.
Internet users in Spain and Italy are the most likely to use a smartphone or tablet, of
all portable devices
Ofcom research conducted in October 2015 found that out of all portable devices,
smartphones and tablets were most commonly used to access the internet. Few people in
any of the comparator countries used other portable devices, such e-readers, portable media
players and mobile phones (feature phones that aren’t smartphones) to access the internet.
The only exception was Japan, where 14% of respondents accessed the internet through a
mobile phone. In contrast, access via a smartphone in Japan was among the lowest (46%)
of the comparator countries. This is most likely due to the advanced functionality and
historical popularity of feature phones in Japan.
Spain (77%) and Italy (75%) lead among our comparator countries, in having the largest
proportion of respondents using a smartphone to access the internet. In the proportion of
those using a tablet to access the internet, the UK was third (40%), behind Spain (43%) and
Italy (46%).
44
38
35
51
34
25
42
52
37
0
20
40
60
80
100
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
Respondents (%)

296

Portable devices used to access the internet
Figure 6.20

Source: Ofcom consumer research September – October 2015
Base: All respondents, UK=1006, FRA=1003, GER=1007, ITA=1003, USA=1009, JPN=1006,
AUS=1000, ESP=1002, SWE=1004
Q.7a Which of the following devices do you use to access the internet?
Note: Direction of arrow indicates a statistically significant difference compared to last year.
6.2.5 Time spent online
Users in the UK and the US spend the most time browsing on laptop and desktops
Internet users in the UK and the US spent the most time browsing online on a laptop or
desktop computer in August 2015 (Figure 6.21), at approximately 33 and 34 hours per
month respectively. In August 2014, France ranked third for time spent browsing on laptop
and desktop devices, 6.9 hours behind the UK. In August 2015, France was third again, and
6.6 hours behind the UK, indicating a slight narrowing.
In all of our comparator countries except Japan and Australia, there was a year-on-year
increase to August 2015 in time spent browsing on a laptop or desktop computer. Time
spent in Japan fell by 1.2 hours, to 18 hours, while in Australia it fell by 1.6 hours, to 24
hours per month.
Most of the European comparator countries analysed since 2013 follow a seasonal pattern
of internet use, with browsing increasing in the autumn to a peak in January, before falling
again as summer approaches.
Respondents (%)
57
40
10
5
4
54
33
3
3
5
59
31
5
3
3
75
46
8
7
7
49
31
10
7
4
46
23
5
4
14
59
37
5
5
5
77
43
6
4
6
64
34
1
2
5
0
20
40
60
80
100
Smartphone
Tablet
E-reader
Portable media
player
Mobile phone
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE

297

Average time spent browsing on a laptop or desktop computer
Figure 6.21

Source: comScore MMX, work and home panel, August 2013 to August 2015, persons 15+
Note: Comparisons between data before and after January 2013 in the UK, March 2013 in the US,
and July 2013 in France, Spain and Italy should be treated with caution due to a change in panel
weighting methodology. Changes in comScore methodology occurred in September 2014 for Italy, in
July 2014 for Germany and in April 2014 for Australia. Data before these dates should be treated with
caution and should not be compared directly with current data.
US smartphone owners spend 85 hours browsing per month, while UK smartphone
owners spend 66 hours
In the UK, smartphone owners spent, on average, 66 hours 6 minutes browsing in August
2015. In the US, time spent was higher, at 84 hours 50 minutes.
The US and the UK methodologies include data from a smartphone panel and therefore data
cannot be compared with other featured countries. Among the other comparator countries,
Spain had the highest time spent, at 4 hours 10 minutes in August 2015, while Germany had
the lowest, at 53 minutes.

Average time spent browsing on a smartphone
Figure 6.22

Source: comScore Mobile Metrix, August 2014 to August 2015 (where available), adults 18+,
browsing and application combined.
Note: *Mobile Metrix in the US and the UK is supplemented by panel data and should not be directly
compared with the remaining comparator countries which have a related but different methodology.
LHA denotes Left hand axis.
0
10
20
30
40
50
Aug-13
Sep-13
Oct-13
Nov-13
Dec-13
Jan-14
Feb-14
Mar-14
Apr-14
May-14
Jun-14
Jul-14
Aug-14
Sep-14
Oct-14
Nov-14
Dec-14
Jan-15
Feb-15
Mar-15
Apr-15
May-15
Jun-15
Jul-15
Aug-15
USA
UK
GER
FRA
ITA
ESP
AUS
JPN
Hours per month
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
USA*
UK*
ESP
AUS
ITA
FRA
GER
LHA applies to
UK & USA only*
Minutes per month

298
UK tablet users spend nearly 32 hours per month browsing
In the UK in 2015, tablet users spent an average of nearly 32 hours browsing the internet in
August 2015. This was slightly exceeded by US tablet users, who spent over 23 minutes
longer browsing in the same month.
The US and the UK methodologies include data from a tablet panel and therefore data
cannot be compared with other featured countries.
Among the other comparator countries, excluding the UK and the US, Spain had the highest
browsing time, at 4 hours 20 minutes in August 2015. The tablet users who spent the least
time browsing were in Germany (at 48 minutes per month).

Average time spent browsing on a tablet
Figure 6.23

Source: comScore Mobile Metrix, August 2014 to August 2015 (where available), persons 18+,
browsing and application combined.
Note: *Mobile Metrix in the US and the UK is supplemented by panel data and should not be directly
compared with the remaining comparator countries which have a related but different methodology.
LHA denotes left hand axis.
0
150
300
450
600
750
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
USA*
UK*
ESP
AUS
ITA
FRA
GER
LHA applies to
UK & USA only*
Minutes per month

299
Online content
6.3
6.3.1 Introduction
This section explores the kinds of content and services that people access on the internet.

Section 6.3.2 gives an overview of the activities people undertake on the mobile
internet, and highlights the most popular web properties across eight of our
comparator countries.

Section 6.3.3 considers which apps are most popular in each of our comparator
countries.

Section 6.3.4 focuses on search, including the leading search engines, and the most
popular and fastest-rising search terms in the past year.

Section 6.3.5 looks at the take-up of social networking using different devices, the
popularity of social networking sites, and the use of check-in services.

Section 6.3.6 looks at the reach of online video sites, the popularity of different
services across platforms, and the type of online video consumed.

Section 6.3.7 examines the use of the internet for the consumption of news services.

Section 6.3.8 explores the use of online banking services.
Key findings
In summary, the key findings from this section of the chapter are:

Social networking, instant messaging and gaming apps are the most
commonly downloaded on iPhone and Google Play across comparator
countries. On iPhone, WhatsApp Messenger was the most downloaded app in
Spain, Singapore, Brazil, India and Nigeria. On Google Play, Facebook was the most
downloaded app in the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Poland and Nigeria. On both
iPhone and Google Play, at least one gaming app featured in twelve countries’ top
five most downloaded apps.

Google is the most popular search engine across all of the comparator
countries. In 2014, Google was the most popular search engine across all
comparator countries except Japan. As Yahoo! Search’s active reach in Japan
declined substantially year-on-year to August 2015, Google became the most
popular search engine.

The UK has the highest proportion of mobile phone users who access social
networks on that device almost every day (43%), along with the US (42%).
Japan has the lowest number of respondents to access social networks on a mobile
phone almost every day, at 9%.

Online banking on a smartphone is most popular in Australia and Sweden,
followed by the UK. Half of smartphone owners in Australia and Sweden, and 40%
of smartphone owners in the UK, use their device to bank online.

300
6.3.2 Overview
Among laptop and desktop users, Google-owned sites were the most popular across
all of the comparator countries in August 2015.
A handful of web properties were popular with internet users across all the comparator
countries. ‘Microsoft sites’ appeared in the top ten for every one of our comparator countries,
while Yahoo sites featured in the top ten for all except Germany134. In every comparator
country, Google-owned sites were the most popular.
The popularity of online shopping was also evident: Amazon appeared in the top ten in every
country except Australia, while eBay appeared in the top ten of every country apart from
Spain and Japan135. In Japan, Rakuten was listed, which runs Rakuten Ichiba, one of the
largest e-commerce sites in Japan.
The top ten properties on laptops and desktops indicated the popularity of social networking,
with Facebook featuring in the top five properties in all the comparator countries except
Japan, where it was the ninth most popular property. Wikimedia Foundation Sites - which
include Wikipedia - were also popular across countries, appearing in the top ten properties
for the majority of our comparator countries, but not in France or Japan.
Alongside these global web properties were popular national websites, such as the BBC in
the UK, and CBS in the US. These websites provide regional written and audio-visual
content such as news, sport and entertainment. In France, Webedia produces several
popular websites under its ‘pure’ brand. Purepeople, for example, is a popular celebrity news
site. CCM-Benchmark’s brands include the CCM technology websites, and features the
website L’internaute.
A number of media groups and multimedia publishing groups appear among the top ten web
properties, such as Axel Springer (which publishes Bild, a German tabloid newspaper), Prisa
in Spain and NewsCorp in Australia.

134 Yahoo! Japan’s largest shareholders are Softbank and Yahoo! Inc, making Yahoo! Japan distinct.

301

Top ten web properties accessed on a laptop and desktop computer, by
Figure 6.24
country

Source: comScore MMX, home and work panel, August 2014 and August 2015, persons 15+. Note:
Coloured font indicates brand appears more than once. Web property audience includes relevant
internet application audiences where available. A ‘+’ or ‘-’ number denotes change in rank since 2014
comScore data, ‘-’ only denotes no change, and ‘N’ denotes a new entrant to the top ten.
On mobile phones, media groups and Yahoo sites were among the most popular
properties
On mobile phones, Google sites were significantly less popular than on laptop and desktop
computers, appearing in the top ten properties in two of the comparator countries. Yahoo
sites, however, featured in the top ten properties in all of the comparator countries.
Media groups and multimedia publishing groups were notably popular on mobile phones.
RCS MediaGroup was the top property in Italy and Spain, while Axel Spring was the third
most popular property in both France and Germany. NewsCorp Australia, Trinity Mirror
Group and Schibsted Media Group also featured in the top ten properties.
Some properties were popular across platforms, but were higher up the rankings for mobiles
than for desktops and laptops. AOL Inc, for instance, was Japan’s most popular property on
mobile, featured in the top ten of two other countries. And whereas TripAdvisor featured in
two of the comparator countries’ top ten properties on desktop and laptop, it was in the top
ten for four countries on mobile.
Conversely, some properties were less popular on mobiles than on laptops or desktops.
Amazon was in the top ten most-accessed properties on a laptop or desktop in seven
comparator countries, but in only three countries for mobile phone access. And eBay was
among the ten most popular properties on laptops and desktops in five countries, but for
mobile phones it was in the top ten only in the UK.
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA-
JPN
AUS
ESP
1 Google
Sites
- Google
Sites
- Google
Sites
- Google
Sites
- Google
Sites
- Google
Sites
- Google
Sites
- Google
Sites
-
2 Microsoft
Sites
+1 Facebook
+1 Facebook
- Facebook
- Facebook
+2 Yahoo Sites - Microsoft
Sites
- Facebook
-
3 Facebook
-1 Microsoft
Sites
-1 Microsoft
Sites
+2 ItaliaOnline
- Yahoo
Sites
-1 Microsoft
Sites
+1 Facebook
- Microsoft
Sites
-
4 Amazon
Sites
+1 CCM-
Benchmark
+1 Amazon
Sites
-1 Microsoft
Sites
+1 Microsoft
Sites
-1 FC2 inc.
-1 Yahoo Sites -
Unidad
Medios
Digitales
-
5 BBC Sites
+1 Webedia
Sites
-1 eBay
-1 Banzai
+1 Amazon
Sites
+1 LINE
Corporation
N News Corp
Australia
N Prisa
+2
6 eBay
+1 Yahoo
Sites
-
Axel
Springer
SE
-
Wikimedia
Foundation
Sites
+1 AOL, Inc.
-1 DMM
+2 TripAdvisor
Inc.
N Yahoo Sites
-
7 Yahoo Sites -3 Orange
Sites
- Deutsche
Telekom
- Amazon
Sites
+3 Mode
Media
- Amazon
Sites
-
Wikimedia
Foundation
Sites
-1 Vocento
+1
8
Wikimedia
Foundation
Sites
-
Schibsted
Media
Group
-
Hubert
Burda
Media
+1 eBay
-
Wikimedia
Foundation
Sites
N Rakuten Inc -2 eBay
-3
Schibsted
Media
Group
+1
9 TripAdvisor
Inc.
N Amazon
Sites
N
United-
Internet
Sites
-1 Yahoo
Sites
-5 CBS
Interactive
- Facebook
N Mode Media N Amazon
Sites
N
10 Apple Inc.
-1 Solocal
Group
-1
Wikimedia
Foundation
Sites
-
Gruppo
Editoriale
Espresso
N eBay
-2
Kadokawa
Dwango
Corporation
N
Telstra
Corporation
Limited
-2 Alibaba.com
Corporation
N

302

Top ten web properties accessed on a mobile phone, by country
Figure 6.25

Source: comScore MoMX, browser and applications (browser only in Japan), August 2015. Note:
Coloured font indicates property appears more than once. Web property audience includes relevant
internet application audiences where available.
6.3.3 Apps
Social networking, instant messaging and gaming apps are the most commonly
downloaded on iPhone and Google Play across comparator countries.
Social networking and instant messaging apps are the most commonly downloaded on
iPhone and Google Play across the comparator countries. The social networking app,
Facebook, was popular in many of the comparator countries, appearing in the top five apps
downloaded from Google Play in all countries except Japan, Singapore, Russia and China.
In Russia, VK and its classmates (both social networking apps) were among the top five.
Instant messaging apps were also popular, with both WhatsApp Messenger and Facebook
Messenger (Messenger) in the top five most commonly downloaded apps in the EU5136.
Gaming apps were commonly downloaded in many countries, and at least one gaming app
featured in the top five most commonly-downloaded apps in 12 of the comparator countries.
In Japan, four of the five most commonly downloaded apps were gaming apps, indicating an
enthusiasm for gaming apps that significantly exceeds that in the other comparator
countries.
There were notable national differences in the popularity of apps for anti-virus protection,
mobile payments and e-commerce. Anti-virus security apps were popular in Germany, Italy,
the US, Brazil and India. Russia was the only country to have a specific e-commerce app
among its top five most downloaded (Ali Express Shopping App), and the only country to
feature a mobile payments app in its top five was Sweden (Swish Payments).

136 The EU5 comprises the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA-
JPN
AUS
ESP
1 Google
Sites
CCM-
Benchmark
Deutsche
Telekom
RCS
MediaGroup Google Sites
AOL, Inc.
News Corp
Australia
RCS
MediaGroup
2 Facebook Webedia Sites AccuWeather
Sites
Yahoo Sites
Facebook
TripAdvisor
Inc.
Gumtree
Sites
Vocento
3 BBC Sites Axel Springer
SE
Axel Springer
SE
TripAdvisor
Inc.
Yahoo Sites
DAILYMOTION
.COM
Yahoo Sites
Prisa
4 Amazon
Sites
Groupe
Amaury
Shazam
Entertainment
Ltd
Banzai
Amazon Sites
Indeed
BUZZFEED.
COM
Mediaset
España
5 Sky Sites
Shazam
Entertainment
Ltd
Webedia
Sites
ItaliaOnline
AOL, Inc.
Rakuten Inc
Mail Online /
Daily Mail
Grupo
Heraldo
6
Mail
Online /
Daily Mail
Cerise Media
AOL, Inc.
Shazam
Entertainme
nt Ltd
Comcast
NBCUniversal JIJI Press Ltd
AOL, Inc.
Yahoo Sites
7 Microsoft
Sites
DAILYMOTION
.COM
Spotify
Ciaopeople
Microsoft
Sites
Yahoo Sites
Mode Media
Grupo Godo
8 Yahoo
Sites
TripAdvisor
Inc.
Yahoo Sites
Leonardo
ADV
CBS
Interactive
FASHIONSNAP
.COM
LIKES.COM
Schibsted
Media Group
9 eBay
Orange Sites
TripAdvisor
Inc.
Populis
Apple Inc.
Weather
Company, The
9NEWS.COM
.AU
Zeta Gestión
De Medios
10
Trinity
Mirror
Group
Yahoo Sites
Xing
Gruppo
Mediaset
Twitter
AccuWeather
Sites
Amazon
Sites
Weblogs SL
Sites

303
Figure 6.26 displays the most commonly downloaded apps from Google Play (Android
smartphones and tablets). In contrast, Figure 6.27 displays information relating to downloads
of apps for iPhones only, excluding tablets. Consequently, they cannot be compared on an
exact like-for-like basis.

Most commonly downloaded apps from Google Play, by country
Figure 6.26

Source: App Annie Top App Charts Aug 31, 2015. Translation notes: 1. イルーナ戦記オンライン2.
戦艦帝国-200艘の実在戦艦を集めろ3. 連打英雄—指1本で楽しめる爽快バトルゲーム4. Yahoo!ブラウ
ザ5. 伏魔者-星海之翼资料片来袭6. 팝업캐시 - 카카오톡 사용자 필수앱 7. 러스티블러드 8. A mobile
wallet service 9. 프렌즈팝 for Kakao 10. Одноклассники. Note: coloured font indicates an App that
appears in the top five most commonly downloaded apps in five or more countries.
The popularity of social networking and instant messaging apps was mirrored among iPhone
users. In all the comparator countries except Japan, the top five most commonly
downloaded apps included at least one social networking or instant messaging app, and in
most cases both.
At least one gaming app featured in the top five most popular apps in 12 countries. A greater
enthusiasm among iPhone users for gaming apps might be inferred from the popularity of
apps such as Happy Wheels and The Walking Dead: Road to Survival. However, as data on
the most commonly downloaded apps are collated on a daily basis, the popularity of certain
gaming apps might be attributable to daily trends.
32
1
2
3
4
5
UK
Facebook
Heroes of the Alpha
Arena
WhatsApp Messenger
Messenger
Google Photos
FRA Facebook
Messenger
Snapchat
Google Photos
WhatsApp Messenger
GER WhatsApp Messenger Facebook
360 Security
Messenger
Heroes X Mortals:
Kriegsarena
ITA
WhatsApp Messenger Facebook
Messenger
360 Security
COOKING MAMA
USA Messenger
Google Photos
Facebook
360 Security
Pandora Radio
JPN RPG Iruna Senki
online 1
Collect the real
battleship empire –
200 boats2
Battered hero – exhilarating
battle game that can be
enjoyed with one finger 3
Yahoo! Browser 4
Clash of Kings
AUS Facebook
Messenger
Google Photos
Golden Lion Slots
Instagram
ESP WhatsApp Messenger Facebook
Messenger
Google Photos
64 Games
NED WhatsApp Messenger Facebook
Google Photos
Messenger
Magister 6
SWE Legend Online
Facebook
Bank ID sakerhertsapp
Swish payments
Messenger
POL Facebook
Messenger
Fallout Shelter
96% pop polsku
Snapchat
SGP Pocket Q
Facebook
WhatsApp Messenger
Demons – Xinghai Wings5 Messenger
KOR
Pop-up cache –
essential app
KakaoTalk users 6
Rusty Blood7
CLiP8
Friends Pop for Kakao9
Wonder5 Masters
BRA WhatsApp Messenger Facebook
Messenger
Easy Audio Recorder
CM Security Antivirus
AppLock
RUS VK
WhatsApp Messenger AliExpress Shopping App
Viber
Classmates10
IND
WhatsApp Messenger Facebook
Messenger
SHAREit
360 Security
CHN Google Play Games
Youtube
Google Photos
Instagram
Chrome Browser
NIG
Facebook
WhatsApp Messenger Messenger
BBM
Instagram

304

Most commonly downloaded iPhone apps, by country
Figure 6.27

Source: App Annie Top App Charts Aug 31, 2015. Translation notes: 1. 戦の海賊2. 프렌즈팝 for
Kakao 3. 코레일톡4.0 4. Сбербанк Онлайн 5.借贷宝 － 熟人借贷，人脉变钱脉，轻松玩出钱 6.全民
超神-全球首款5V5实时MOBA电竞手游 7.滑雪大冒险2 -- 3D版多人对战跑酷 8.芒果TV - 看见好时光.
Note: coloured font indicates an app that appears in the top five most commonly downloaded apps in
five or more countries.
6.3.4 Search
Google is the most popular search engine across the EU5 countries, the US, Australia
and Japan
Google was the most popular search engine across all of the comparator countries analysed
in Figure 5.20. Google’s active reach was significantly greater than its competitor search
engines in all countries except Japan, where Yahoo Search! has an active reach only 8%
behind Google Search.
Between August 2014 and August 2015 there was a decline in the active reach of Yahoo!
Search in all the comparator countries except Germany, where it remained stable at 9%.
Bing is now more popular than Yahoo! Search in all the comparator countries except Japan
and the US.
Despite the strong history of Yahoo! In Japan, the active reach of Google Search is now
greater than Yahoo! Search. In the year to August 2015, the active reach of Yahoo! Search
decreased by 20 percentage points, to 49%.
44
1
2
3
4
5
UK
Happy Wheels
WhatsApp Messenger
The Walking Dead: Road
to Survival
Messenger
Facebook
FRA The Walking Dead:
Road to Survival
Happy Wheels
WhatsApp Messenger
Messenger
iMusic Pro
GER Happy Wheels
WhatsApp Messenger
The Walking Dead: Road
to Survival
iMusic Pro
Messenger
ITA
Happy Wheels
WhatsApp Messenger
Messenger
Layout from
Instagram
Jusapp – Prank Calls
USA Happy Wheels
The Walking Dead: Road to
Survival
Messenger
Facebook
Instagram
JPN Happy Wheels
Pokemon Shuffle Mobile
Pirates of war1
SUUMO
LINE
AUS Happy Wheels
Messenger
Layout from Instagram
Facebook
Instagram
ESP WhatsApp Messenger Layout from Instagram
Messenger
Instagram
Facebook
NED Buienradar
Buienalarm
Happy Wheels
Magister 6
WhatsApp
Messenger
SWE Happy Wheels
Swish payments
Bank ID sakerhertsapp
Layout from
Instagram
Geocoaching Intro
POL Messenger
Yeah Bunny Keyboard
Facebook
Youtube
96% pop polsku
SGP WhatsApp Messenger Pokemon Shuffle Mobile
Messenger
Layout from
Instagram
Youtube
KOR Friends Pop for
Kakao2
DomiNations Asia
Collection Iltok 4.0 3
Piano Tiles 2
KakaoTalk
BRA WhatsApp Messenger Layout from Instagram
iMusic Pro
Messenger
Facebook
RUS
Layout from
Instagram
Music for iPhone and
playlists
WhatsApp Messenger
Sberbank online 4 VK
IND
WhatsApp Messenger Facebook
SHAREit
Truecaller
Messenger
CHN PIP Camera
Lending treasure –
acquaintances borrowing
money become contacts,
easy money 5
National Super God –
the world’s first real-time
MOBA gaming 5V5 hand
tour 6
Ski Adventure 2 –
3D multiplayer
version Parkou7
Mango TV – see the
good old days8
NIG
WhatsApp Messenger Instagram
Facebook
BBM
Messenger

305

Active reach of selected search engines on laptop and desktop
Figure 6.28
computers

Source: comScore MMX, home and work panel, August 2015, persons 15.
Online brands such as Facebook and Google were the most searched-for terms online
in the majority of our comparator countries
The most popular search term on Google for 11 of our 18 comparator countries in the year to
August 2015 was ‘Facebook’. However, Facebook appeared to be less popular in Russia,
where Russian social networks ‘Odnoklassniki’ and ‘VKontakte’ were two of the top three
most searched-for terms.
Country-specific search terms remained popular, such as ‘BBC’ in the UK, and ‘bon coin’,
the classified listings website, in France. In Nigeria and Singapore, the name of the country
itself featured among the three most common search terms, possibly used in addition to
other search terms as a way of narrowing the results returned by Google to those more
relevant to the respective country.
The search terms which increased in popularity the most varied, but there was a notable
increase since 2014 in terms related to geopolitical matters and current affairs. In 2014 many
of the moost popular search terms were related to the World Cup. But in 2015 ‘Charlie
Hebdo’ had the largest increase in France, ‘ebola’ in the US and ‘ISIS’ in Italy. In Singapore,
‘Lee Kuan Yew’ (the name of country’s first and longest-serving prime minister) was the
search term that increased most, and in Nigeria it was ‘Buhari’, the name of the nation’s
president, elected in 2015.
80
92
85
89
85
57
74
85
39
24
24
21
41
17
27
18
24
12
9
8
42
49
11
10
0
20
40
60
80
100
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
Google Search [C]
Bing [C]
Yahoo! Search [C]
Active reach (%)

306

Most popular search terms on Google: August 2014 - August 2015
Figure 6.29
Source: Google Insights Search Tool, August 2014 to August 2015. Translation notes: 1.天気 2.画像
3.モンハン 4g
3
4. 네이버 5. 토렌트6. 밍키넷 7. 천사티비 8. вк

9. Одноклассники 10. яндекс 12. окей
google 12. 百度 13. 草榴. Note: orange font indicates ‘breakout’ status – where the frequency with
which a term is searched has increased by >5000%.
6.3.5 Social networking
Italy and Spain have the highest proportions of people accessing social networking
sites weekly
The majority of internet users accessed social networks on a weekly basis in almost all of
our comparator countries. The most active social networkers were in Italy and Spain, where
three-quarters of internet users accessed social networks at least once a week.
In the majority of the comparator countries, the proportion of weekly social networkers
increased from October 2014 to September-October 2015. Year on year, the proportion of
weekly social networkers in Germany has been broadly stable since 2013 (54%). In the UK,
nearly two-thirds of people claimed to access social networking sites weekly (65%).
Country
1ST
2ND
3RD
Largest increase
UK
facebook
bbc
google
showbox
FRA
facebook
youtube
bon coin
charlie hebdo
GER
facebook
google
ebay
kalendar 2015
ITA
facebook
youtube
google
isis
USA
facebook
google
you
ebola
JPN
weather1
image2
youtube
monster hunter 4g3
AUS
facebook
google
youtube
netflix
ESP
facebook
youtube
hotmail
gran hermano
NED
facebook
google
youtube
popcorn time
SWE
google
facebook
youtube
windows 10
POL
facebook
onet
allegro
olx
SGP
singapore
google
youtube
lee kuan yew
KOR
naver4
torrents5
Net mingki6
angel tv7
BRA
facebook
google
Youtube
bbb15
RUS
vc8
classmates9
yandex10
Okay google11
IND
facebook
video
song
sarkari result
CHN
google
baidu12
grass pomegranate13 youtube
NGA
news
nigeria
download
buhari

307

Weekly access to social networks
Figure 6.30

Source: Ofcom consumer research September – October 2015, October 2014 and September 2013.
Base (2015): All respondents, UK=1006, FRA=1003, GER=1007, ITA=1003, USA=1009, JPN=1006,
AUS=1000, ESP=1002, SWE=1004
2013-14 Q.8 Which, if any, of the following activities do you use your internet connection for at least
once a week?
2015 Q.8 How often do you use an internet connection on any of your devices for each of the
following activities? 5.Accessing social networking sites (e.g. Facebook,Twitter)
Laptops/desktops and mobile phones are the most popular devices for accessing
social networks
Across nearly all the comparator countries, smartphones/ mobiles and laptops/ desktops/
notebooks were the most popular devices for accessing social networks. This was the case
in all comparator countries except Japan, where tablets have a similar level of popularity
(48% tablet, 49% mobile/smartphone, 49% laptop/desktop/notebook) as a device for
accessing social networks.
Italy had the highest proportion of social networkers on smartphones/ mobiles, with 74% of
those who owned a smartphone/ mobile phone claiming to have used it to access social
networks. In the UK, around two-thirds of respondents with each device type accessed
social networks using a laptop/ desktop /notebook (63%), and mobile phone/ smartphones
(68%).
In France, over a third of people (34%) accessed social networks using a TV with internet
connectivity (directly with a smart TV or via a device such a set-top box), compared to 15%
in the UK.
65
57
54
69
56
45
62
72
56
62
54
75
54
42
64
74
65
61
54
78
62
50
65
76
68
0
20
40
60
80
100
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
2013
2014
2015
Respondents (%)

308

Accessing social networks, by device ownership
Figure 6.31

Source: Ofcom consumer research September - October 2015
Base: All respondents who access internet with each type of device, UK=879/594/xx-xxxx-xxxx,
FRA=xx-xxxx-xxxx, GER=923/623/318/176, ITA=876/779/460/185, USA=xx-xxxx-xxxx,
JPN=840/573/234/98, AUS=906/610/370/191, ESP=897/803/435/194, SWE=879/678/xx-xxxx-xxxx
Q.9a Which, if any, of the following internet activities do you use each of your devices for?
Social networking is most popular among 18-24s in the majority of comparator
countries
In the UK, as in most other comparator countries, people aged between 18 and 24 are the
most likely to use social networks at least weekly, compared with other age groups. Social
networking is most popular among 18-24s in six of the nine comparator countries. In Italy
and Spain, social networking is more popular among 25-34s, used by 87% and 80%
respectively in that age group at least weekly.
Japan had the lowest weekly use of the internet to visit social networks, across all age
groups. This reflects the relatively low active reach of sites such as Facebook in Japan
relative to other comparator countries (Figure 6.28).
In Italy, use of social networks at least once a week among 55-64s was notably greater, at
72%, than in other comparator countries. And 25 to 34 year olds in Italy were the most active
social networkers across all age groups and countries.
The country with the greatest difference between age groups in weekly use of social
networks was France, with a 30 percentage point difference between the 18-24s and the 55-
64s.
Respondents with each device (%)
63
68
59
15
63
57
51
34
62
59
51
11
69
74
57
28
63
64
53
15
49
49
48
18
67
64
53
14
74
69
58
21
69
68
53
8
0
20
40
60
80
Laptop/ desktop/ notebook
Mobile phone/Smartphone
Tablet
A TV connected to the internet
either directly (Smart TV) or
via another device such as a
set-top box or a games
console
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE

309

Weekly use of internet connection to visit social networks, by age
Figure 6.32

Source: Ofcom consumer research September - October 2015
Base: All respondents, UK=1006, FRA=1003, GER=1007, ITA=1003, USA=1009, JPN=1006,
AUS=1000, ESP=1002, SWE=1004
Q.8 How often do you use an internet connection on any of your devices for each of the following
activities?
Facebook is by far the most popular social network in all of our comparator countries,
apart from Japan, where it has a more modest lead
On laptops and desktops, Facebook was the most popular social network - by a significant
margin - in seven of the eight comparator countries shown in Figure 6.33. Of these
countries, Facebook was most popular in France, where 77% of respondents accessed it at
least once in August 2015 on a laptop or desktop computer. Italy (76%), Spain (71%) and
the UK (70%) were among the countries where the active reach of Facebook in August 2015
was at least 70%.
Japan was the only country where the difference in active reach between Facebook and its
competitors was more modest; 34% compared to 24% for Twitter. Since August 2014,
Facebook’s active reach in Japan has increased by 9%, while Twitter’s has fallen by 6%137.
The active reach of Facebook in August 2015 was significantly lower in Japan (34%) than in
the other comparator countries, where Facebook’s active reach ranged from 61% to 77%
There was no consistent second-place social network across the comparator countries. In
the UK, Japan and Spain, Twitter was in second place, with a 24% active reach in all three
countries. The professional-oriented social network, LinkedIn, was the second most popular
social network in Australia (24%), the US (21%) and Italy (12%). Only in France (18%) and
Germany (13%) was Google+ the second most popular social network.

137 [P] Facebook has been used to measure the change in reach, whereas in Figure 6.33. Facebook
and Messenger is used. Similarly, Twitter.com is used to measure change, but [P] Twitter is used in
Figure 6.33.
80
80
74
83
74
64
78
75
80
72
74
66
87
74
53
72
80
76
71
59
58
79
69
53
65
79
64
62
56
51
70
58
49
68
76
74
56
50
47
72
57
41
55
66
64
0
20
40
60
80
100
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
18-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
Respondents (%)

310

Active reach of selected social networks on laptop and desktop
Figure 6.33
computers
Source: comScore MMX, home and work panel, August 2015, persons 15+
The UK has the highest proportion of mobile phone users who access social
networks on that device almost every day (43%), along with the US (42%).
Japan has the lowest number of respondents to access social networks on a mobile phone
at least once a month, at 24%. The prevalence of feature phones in Japan - some of which
might not have the functionality required to access social networks - might explain why fewer
Japanese mobile phone users access social networks.
Spain had the highest proportion of mobile phone users accessing social networks between
one and three times a month, at 15% of respondents. France and Italy had the highest
proportion of mobile phone users accessing social networks at least once a week (but less
than ‘almost every day’), at 15%.

Monthly access to social networks on mobile phones
Figure 6.34

Source: comScore MobiLens, August 2013 (three-month average), August 2014 (three-month
average), and August 2015 (three-month average), mobile internet users aged 13+ Note: *For
August 2015 (three-month average) UK and USA results are from comScore MobiLens Plus which
includes an additional response of ‘Used before but not in the month’ of 5% for both countries.
70
77
67
76
69
34
61
71
24
13
10
10
19
24
11
24
20
14
8
12
21
2
24
15
13
18
13
11
17
5
7
14
0
20
40
60
80
100
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
Facebook And Messenger [M]
Twitter [P]
Linkedin [P]
Google+ [C]
Active reach (%)
40
40
43
28
31
34
28
27
25
31
34
35
41
42
42
10
10
9
29
31
33
15
16
12
15
15
15
14
14
13
16
16
15
16
16
12
8
8
7
16
15
14
11
10
7
11
11
10
11
11
11
14
13
13
11
10
8
8
7
7
17
16
15
66
66
62
54
57
58
53
52
50
60
63
63
67
69
62
26
24
24
62
62
62
0
20
40
60
80
2013
2014
*2015
2013
2014
2015
2013
2014
2015
2013
2014
2015
2013
2014
*2015
2013
2014
2015
2013
2014
2015
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
ESP
Almost every day
At least once a week
Once to three times a month
Mobile internet users (%)

311
6.3.6 Online video
This analysis looks at web-based video, which is defined as free videos or video clips on
websites that are accessible using a browser or the website’s application138. Information
relating to long-form video content can be found in the TV and AV chapter of this report.
Accessing the internet to watch video clips on tablets and computers increased in
popularity in the UK in 2015
In the UK, the proportion of tablet owners using their device to watch video clips over the
internet increased year on year by 8% (to 55%), while the proportion watching on their
computers also increased by 8% (to 62%).
In Italy, 75% of computer owners, and 63% of tablet owners, claimed to view online video
clips through each of these types of device in 2015 – the highest among the comparator
countries. Watching video clips on a mobile or smartphone was also most popular in Italy, at
61%.

Accessing online video clips, by device ownership
Figure 6.35

Source: Ofcom consumer research September - October 2015
Base: All respondents with each device, laptop/desktop/netbook=840-923 in each market, mobile
phone/smartphone=523-803 in each market, tablet computer=234-460 in each market, games
console attached to TV=98-235 in each market (Japan* - Caution low base size less than 100).
Q.9c What sorts of video content do you watch on each of your devices over the internet?
YouTube was visited by at least half of all laptop and desktop users in the majority of
the comparator countries
In five of the eight comparator countries, YouTube was visited by at least half of all laptop
and desktop users at least once in August 2015 (Figure 6.36). YouTube was most popular in
Spain, with 60% of its laptop and desktop users visiting the website at least once a month.
Across all comparator countries, YouTube was significantly more popular than any of our
other selected online video websites. YouTube’s narrowest lead in August 2015 was in
France, where 23% of internet users visited Dailymotion, a French video-sharing website
with global reach, compared with 52% of users who visited YouTube.
The proportion of laptop and desktop computers accessing YouTube at least once a month
declined in all eight comparator countries. The greatest year-on-year decline to August 2015

138 This excludes video on demand services such as BBC iPlayer and Netflix.
62
60
64
75
58
60
63
68
69
46
39
43
61
52
41
47
51
48
55
46
59
63
49
58
53
58
55
44
53
43
60
51
33
48
55
36
0
20
40
60
80
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
Laptop/ desktop/ netbook
Mobile phone/ smartphone
Tablet
Fixed games console
Respondents with each device (%)

312
was in the UK and in Australia; seven percentage points lower in both countries. This is likely
to be because online video consumption is shifting from fixed laptop and desktop devices to
tablet and mobile devices.
No single selected online video website was consistently the second most popular after
YouTube. In the UK and Australia, Dailymotion and Vimeo were tied on 5%. Dailymotion was
second most popular in France (23%), Italy (7%), Japan (6%) and Spain (6%). Vimeo was
the second most popular online video website in only one country; the US (6%), its country
of origin.

Active reach of selected online video websites on laptop and desktop
Figure 6.36
computers

Source: comScore MMX, home and work panel, August 2015, persons 15+
6.3.7 Online news
Internet users in Japan and Italy are the most likely to regard the internet as their
main source of news
Internet users in Japan (43%) and Italy (42%) were the most likely to regard the internet as
their main source of world news. Those in Italy (40%) and Japan (39%) were also most likely
to see the internet as their main source of national news. For local news, internet users in
Italy (33%) were the most likely to see the internet as their main source of news, followed by
Japan (29) and Spain (29%).
In Germany, there was a significant increase (four percentage points) in the number of
respondents who regarded the internet as their main source of local news, from 17% in 2014
to 21% in 2015.
Further information relating to the consumption of news can be found in the Section 1.7 of
this report.
51
52
47
57
54
46
45
60
5
23
5
7
4
6
7
6
5
5
4
3
6
1
7
4
0
20
40
60
80
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
YOUTUBE.COM [M]
DAILYMOTION.COM [P]
Vimeo [P]
Active reach (%)

313

The internet as a primary source of news
Figure 6.37

Source: Ofcom consumer research September - October 2015
Base: All respondents, UK=1006, FRA=1003, GER=1007, ITA=1003, USA=1009, JPN=1006,
AUS=1000, ESP=1002, SWE=1004
Q.11 Which, if any, is your main source for the following information?
Note: Direction of arrow indicates a statistically significant difference compared to last year.
Reading the news online using a smartphone/ mobile phone is most popular in Italy
Italy has the largest proportion of mobile/ smartphone users who read the news online using
their handset, at 64%. The proportion of mobile/ smartphone owners who read the news
online in the UK is lower, at 48%.
Mobile online news consumption grew significantly year on year in Italy and Spain. Between
2014 and 2015, the proportion of respondents who read the news on a mobile/ smartphone
grew by six percentage points in Italy and by seven percentage points in Spain.

Use of mobile phones/smartphones for reading the news online
Figure 6.38

Source: Ofcom consumer research October 2014 and September – October 2015
Base: All respondents who access internet with a mobile phone/ smartphone. 2015: UK=594,
FRA=568, GER=623, ITA=779, USA=523, JPN=573, AUS=610, ESP=803, SWE=678; 2014:
UK=540, FRA=469, GER=531, ITA=762, USA=443, JPN=566, AUS=579, ESP=742.
Q.9a Which, if any, of the following internet activities do you use each of your devices for?
Note: Direction of arrow indicates a statistically significant difference compared to last year.
30
27
30
42
32
43
36
36
34
32
27
27
40
36
39
36
35
30
26
22
21
33
22
29
24
29
24
0
10
20
30
40
50
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
World
National
Local
Respondents (%)
44
47
50
58
42
58
40
46
48
47
54
64
45
60
41
53
59
0
20
40
60
80
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
2014
2015
Mobile internet users (%)

314
6.3.8 Online banking
Forty per cent of UK smartphone users bank online using their handset
The use of smartphones for online banking in the UK increased by six percentage points,
from 34% to 40%, in the year to 2015. The UK was one of three comparator countries to
experience significant growth in the use of smartphones for online banking, along with Italy
and Germany. But the highest take-up of mobile online banking was in Sweden and
Australia, where half (50%) claimed to do this.
The countries with the lowest proportion of respondents using their smartphone for online
banking were Japan (26%), and Germany (24%).

Use of smartphone for online banking
Figure 6.39

Source: Ofcom consumer research September 2014 and September – October 2015
Base: All respondents who access internet using smartphone, UK=529/576, FRA=440/544,
GER=513/605, ITA=724/753, USA=425/503, JPN=565/469, AUS=552/583, ESP=709/774,
SWE=n/a/650. Q.9a Which, if any, of the following internet activities do you use each of your devices
for?: Online banking
Note: Direction of arrow indicates a statistically significant difference compared to last year.
Mobile users in the US and Italy are most likely to make electronic payments and
transfer money using their handsets
An electronic payment/ money transfer is an online method of transferring money from one
account to another without the need for paper documents. Providers of such services include
PayPal, Western Union, TransferWise and Azimo.com.
In the US and Italy, a fifth (20%) of mobile users made use of electronic payments or money
transfer on their mobile phones. In the US, there was a year-on-year increase of three
percentage points to August 2015 and in Italy, an increase of one percentage point. The
relatively high level of online banking on smartphones in Italy might be attributable to a
number of factors, but Poste Italiane has been at the forefront of innovation in this area,
enabling mobile money transfer services in Italy in 2009139.
In the UK, 18% of mobile users had made use of electronic payments or money transfers on
their mobile phones, up by one percentage point since 2014.

139 http://ir.moneygram.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=779330
34
25
18
28
38
21
51
31
40
28
24
35
39
26
50
35
50
0
20
40
60
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
AUS
ESP
SWE
2014
2015
Smartphone internet users (%)

315

Monthly use of electronic payments or money transfer on mobile
Figure 6.40
phones

Source: comScore MobiLens, August 2014 (three-month average), and August 2015 (three-month
average), mobile users aged 13+
Note: *For August 2015 (three-month average) UK and USA results are from comScore MobiLens
Plus
Mobile users 13+ (%)
17
9
13
19
17
6
18
18
10
16
20
20
6
17
0
10
20
30
UK
FRA
GER
ITA
USA
JPN
ESP
2014
2015