The Airline Edition -- Mobile Media Consumer Report

So what medium leads mobile media consumption on air travel. A VERY preliminary analysis suggests that magazines are #1 in mobile media consumption amongst air travelers. This was based on just two airplane trips I took on October 29, 2009, and November 2, 2009. It was a roundtrip on JetBlue from LaGuardia to Fort Lauderdale. On the first leg, I analyzed media consumption during the trip (not counting JetBlue's famed in-seat TV screens, which is on at every seat that I saw) and on the return leg, I analyzed media consumption in at the gate. I did not measure computer usage. And at the gate area, I did not measure cell phone activity.

Magazines were the dominant medium that I observed by carefully walking the entire aisle of the plane and the gate area. I attribute this to the ubiquity of colorful and attractive magazine newsstands in the airport, and the ease of portability and use. iPod usage was surprisingly low, dipping to 8% of media consumption at the gate. After all, who wants to be listening to your iPod and miss an announcement that your flight is boarding? Blackberry usage and magazine reading led all media consumption at the gate, clocking in at 29%.

Here are the mobile media consumption stats for the two flights:

Magazines 32%
Books 27%
iPods 16%
Blackberry 13%
Newspapers 10%
Video games 1%
DVD players 1%

iPod Usage Surges Among Mobile Media Consumers in Oct.

For the month of October, 2009, iPod usage among mobile media consumers in Manhattan continued to rise. 39% of Gotham commuters on Manhattan's R, N or W lines (the line I take to/fr work) were spotted using their iPods or iPhones during their underground trek. That was up 2% from September. Newspaper consumption had the steepest fall-off of 3%. Magazines also posted a strong 2% uptick of 2%, rising from 4% in September to 6% in October. Books remain steady and strong, generating 22% of mobile media consumption for the months of both September and October.

iPod usage in the morning captured 34% of all mobile media consumption. In the afternoon it spiked to 45%. Only 3% of Manhattan mobile media consumers were spotted using their Blackberries in the morning. But it the afternoon, usage almost tripled to 8% of all mobile media consumption for the month of October.

Here are the stats for the month:

iPods/iPhones 39%
Newspapers 25%
Books 22%
Magazines 6%
Blackberries 5%
Videogames 2%
E-Readers 1%

Mobile Media Consumption for the Week of Oct. 25, 2009

No surpise here but iPods continue to rule among Manhattan commuters. Nearly half of all Gotham commuters (45% to be exact) consuming media were spotted using their iPods (or iPhones). This was down slightly from 48% last week, but it still is a hefty bit of mobile media consumption. Books reading rose to 25% of mobile consumption, up from last week's still-healthy 19%. Newspapers are holding relatively steady at 17% of mobile media consumption, powered largely by the free giveaways (look for a special report soon on mobile newspaper consumption).

Here are the breaks for the week:

iPods 45%
Books 25%
Newspapers 17%
Magazines 6%
Blackberry 5%
Videogames 3%