Comscore Releases Report on Media Usage After March Disaster
Tokyo, Japan, June 8, 2011– Comscore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a study on the use of various Japanese media sources in the aftermath of the March earthquake and tsunami disaster based on data from the Comscore MobiLens and Comscore MMX services. The study found that the largest percentage of people (83 percent) identified television to be very important as an information source after the disaster, followed by fixed Internet (72 percent), radio broadcasts (66 percent) and mobile phones (49 percent).
“After the events in March, people relied on a variety of media sources for the latest information and developments,” said Daizo Nishitani, Comscore vice president for Japan. “TV, fixed Internet, radio and mobile phones were all critical communication channels across the country in the days and weeks following the events. The media sources that were most important and useful during this time were heavily influenced by both people’s age and regional location, underscoring the fragmented nature of media consumption in Japan.”
Television Found to be Most Important Information Source after Disaster
When asked how important various information sources were for obtaining updates after the earthquake and tsunami, 83 percent of people ranked television as very important, while 72 percent cited Internet access through a personal computer. Radio broadcasts were very important for 66 percent of people, while 49 percent specified the use of mobile phones.
Q: How important to you were the following information sources for keeping updated on the disaster?March 2011Total Japan Mobile Audience Age 13+Source: Comscore MobiLens
% of Respondents Ranking as Very Important
Television
83%
Internet Access Through a Personal Computer
72%
Radio Broadcast
66%
Mobile Phone
49%
The importance of media sources varied considerably across age segments. Compared to older consumers, younger users found PC Internet and mobile devices more important as information sources after the disaster. Approximately78 percent of people age 35-44 cited the fixed Internet as very important, accounting for the largest percentage of users ranking this medium as very important. Mobile phones were ranked as very important by more than half of users age 13-34, demonstrating the importance of this medium among younger consumers.
In contrast, television and radio broadcasts were more important sources of information for users in older age segments. Within 55-64 year olds, 90 percent ranked TV as very important, as did 91 percent of those 65 and older. Radio was ranked as very important by 75 percent of people age 55-64 and 78 percent of people age 65 and older.
Internet through PC
Radio
Age: 13 - 17
75%
65%
51%
54%
Age: 18 - 24
73%
70%
46%
56%
Age: 25 - 34
78%
55%
58%
Age: 35 - 44
74%
68%
45%
Age: 45 - 54
88%
67%
Age: 55 - 64
90%
Age: 65 + Older
91%
43%
36.5 Million People Turn to their Mobile Phone for Information
An analysis of how people utilized their mobile devices in Japan found that 36.5 million people accessed information on their mobile phones following the earthquake and tsunami, representing 36.2 percent of the mobile population in Japan. Of those that utilized their mobile devices, 72 percent used their mobile browser, 26 percent watched television or video on their mobile, 24 percent received text or email alerts, while 6 percent used a mobile application.
Q: In what ways did you access information on your mobile phone after the disaster?March 2011Japan Mobile Audience Age 13+ That Accessed Mobile Phone for Information after DisasterSource: Comscore MobiLens
% of Respondents that Used Mobile Phone for Information After Disaster
Used the Internet browser on my mobile
Watched television or video on my mobile
26%
Received text or email alerts on my mobile
24%
Used an application on my mobile
6%
Online Newspaper Sites See Visitation Grow 30 Percent
An analysis of fixed Internet usage revealed a pronounced increase in visitors to online newspaper sites in March. From February 2011 to March 2011, category visitation jumped 30 percent to nearly 32.6 million unique visitors as people turned to the web for the latest national news. Each of the top 10 newspaper sites saw visitation grow by at least double-digits during the month. Asahi Shimbun was the most-visited newspaper destination reaching 14.2 million people, more than doubling its visitor base from February. Mainichi Shimbun followed at 13.5 million (up 47 percent) with Sankei Shimbun reaching 13 million visitors (up 30 percent).
Top Newspaper Sites by Total Unique Visitors March 2011 vs. February 2011Total Audience Japan Age 15+, Home/Work Locations Source: Comscore MMX
Total Unique Visitors (000)
Feb-2011
Mar-2011
% Change
Total Internet : Total Audience
73,172
73,181
0
Newspapers
25,081
32,595
30
Asahi Shimbun
6,824
14,163
108
Mainichi Shimbun
9,181
13,496
47
Sankei Shimbun
10,053
13,027
NIKKEI
7,631
10,755
41
YOMIURI.CO.JP
7,064
10,126
43
Wall Street Journal Online
851
2,685
216
The New York Times Brand
319
1,557
388
TOKYO-NP.CO.JP
453
1,515
234
CHUNICHI.CO.JP
959
1,410
JMnet (JoongAng Media Network)
1,002
1,291
29
*Excludes visitation from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.
About Comscore
Comscore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital business analytics. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.
Contact:Sarah RadwanickDirector, Regional Product MarketingComscore, Inc. +44 (0) 20 7099 1784worldpress@comscore.com