Phonepayplus, the UK’s premium rate services regulator, has today published:
- a Report on Emerging Trends in the Premium Rate Services Market; and
- its plan and budget for the forthcoming year.
Report on Emerging Trends in the Premium Rate Services Market
Phonepayplus commissioned the report from Analysys Mason and deals with services which are billed via a consumer’s telephone bill.
The report splits the premium rate services market into various market categories and segments including:
- information (directory inquiries and general information);
- calling services (e.g. reverse charge or international call routing);
- entertainment (adult, competitions and quizzes, voting and participation TV/radio, flirt/chat/date, gambling and lotteries, games, astrology/tarot/psychic, other);
- personalisation and gifts (mobile personalisation such as ringtones and graphics, virtual gifts); and
- payments (charity donations, payments for non-phone based content and services).
The report estimates the market size at £816 million with entertainment the largest category worth £428 million, driven by growth in gambling, participation TV, and flirt / chat lines segments, with other categories and segments flat or declining.
Outside the growth segments, the report identifies a number of factors which are contributing to revenue stagnation or decline:
- service delivery becoming platform agnostic, so users need not use their phones to access content or services;
- greater availability of free information and content both user generated content and ad-funded content;
- greater internet access as smartphone penetration increases;
- migration of services and interaction to social networks which premium rate services do not currently integrate well with;
- increasing diversity of payment methods: a topic covered in detail elsewhere on this blog, but lower transaction costs in other payment methods is driving migration away from premium rate services as a payment method.
The largest single segment is directory inquiries, worth an estimated £206 million which was the second most frequently used service segment (after competitions and quizzes). Adult services remain a significant revenue generator at £129 million, but are used by a relatively small group of (presumably more frequent) consumers.
TV or radio advert calls to action were the biggest demand generators, followed by web advertising. App stores, QR codes and social networks are new, relatively small, but growing discovery methods.
Issues important to consumers include:
- accurate price information; and
- user privacy.
Phonepayplus plan and budget 2010/11
The annual plan sets out Phonepayplus’ priorities for the year. These include:
- successful implementation of new Code of Practice and industry Registration Scheme;
- supporting implementation of the results of Ofcom’s Non-Geographic Number Review;
- launching improved ‘Number Checker’ consumer information service;
- developing guidance in emerging areas such as in-app billing; virtual currency and PRS on social networks;
- reviewing success of 0871/2/3 regulation and measures brough in following 2009 mobile review; and
- driving internal efficiencies.