“Males download the app but women use it more”- With Preetesh Chouhan of Vdopia on MobileTV trends

It’s no secret that content consumption on mobile is on a rise and according to an IAMAI (Internet and Mobile Association of India) report, the number of mobile internet users in India is set to grow to 130 million by March 2014. Vdopia, one of the popular ad network and platform has some interesting trends in the space. We got in touch with their VP APAC, Preetesh Chouhan who heads operations on the mobile TV front.

YourStory: Tell us about the nexGTv app? How has it been developed and what kind of traction is it seeing?

Preetesh Chouhan: The nexGTv app was launched in January 2012 partnering with DigiVive. It is a free app available across all mobile platforms and so far has around 8 Million downloads as of December 2012. If we look at Indian consumers and their entertainment needs, there are various genres of interest ranging from sports, news to lifestyle, soaps, cartoons, regional, devotional etc. nexGTv offers its users an aggregation of over 100 live channels including ‘Video On Demand’ channels, movie channels and specific programming content.

This in turn provides advertisers a vast dynamic platform to execute their Ad campaigns on Mobile containing a user base of around 8 Million.

YS: How much does this 8 million user base consume?

PC: The app user’s consumer around 40,000 hours of MobileTV on a daily basis on NexGTv.

YS: Can you share some trends in the space?

PC: Well, 32% of the consumption happens in the time slot of 8-10 PM which is prime time and also means that people prefer watching TV on the mobile. It is not only during commuting or free time but they actually don’t really mind replacing the TV with their phone.

Another interesting trend is that of this 8 million downloads, around 80% have come from males but the utilization comes from women (63% of the consumption).

YS: How do you see the ad business picking up on mobile? What are your future plans at Vdopia?

PC: Oh, it can only go up! We’re seeing tremendous growth in terms of net penetration and we have more than 300 clients on our ad network all of whom are seeing good returns.

Going forward, we’re betting big on 3G and the rise of video content.

Download the app here and read our earlier interview with Saurabh Bhatia Vdopia here.