Singaporeans among world's most voracious users of digital media

By SMBWord Asia Editors | Jan 22, 2013

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Urban consumers in China, Brazil and Singapore are proving to be the world's most voracious users of digital media, powered by the rapid uptake of smartphones and tablets according to the KPMG International 2013 Digital Debate.

All around the world, consumers are showing an insatiable hunger for media in all its forms be it digital or offline, according to the survey which measures the current impact of digital and traditional content on approximately 9,000 consumers in nine countries around the world.

"Consumers in China, Brazil and Singapore across all age groups are accessing and using media at an astonishing pace," says Gary Matuszak, KPMG's Global Chair, Technology, Media and Telecommunications. "They are quick to acquire hand-held mobile devices, and are incredibly receptive to all forms of information, news and entertainment from TV, internet, newspapers, magazines and radio."

New revenue models
A new generation of mobile-centric consumers is getting its first media experience via devices. This growing segment has a much greater preference for digital media, and the coming of next-generation, high-speed mobile networks will likely accelerate this trend.

Among urban Chinese consumers, 78 percent own or intend to own a smartphone, slightly more than laptops (76 percent), and 51 percent say they have or plan to have a tablet computer- a higher penetration than the US, UK, Germany or Australia. Overall, 53 percent of total respondents own or intend to own a smartphone and just over a quarter (26%), a tablet computer.

Moreover, consumers from China, Brazil and Singapore not only prefer to access their content digitally, they are more willing to pay for it. Mobile-centric consumers' propensity to pay for content may provide invaluable insights to media and tech providers in mastering breakthrough revenue models.

"In emerging, high-growth markets such as China, people are not encumbered with the legacy of PCs and have leap-frogged straight onto portable devices," observed David Elms, Head of Media for KPMG in the UK. "This creates amazing opportunities for tech and media companies, many of which are struggling to devise models that are profitable and which truly sate consumers' vast needs for information. They need to delve into understanding content much more intimately as it relates to their customers and then, marry the two."