2 Apr 2010 13:20

China's mobile users willing pay for online news, books - report

Shanghai. April 2. INTERFAX-CHINA - E-novels and e-newspapers are the most popular forms of paid content among mobile users, according to a April 2 report released by Analysys International.

Over 30 percent of users are willing to pay for these respective online reader services, the report said.

"Mobile reading service users are ready to pay for literature first, followed by newspapers, magazines and educational content. Approximately 40 percent of female users are already paying or plan to pay to read novels online," Zhang Yanan, an analyst with Analysys International, told Interfax.

Additionally, 13.1 percent of users are willing to pay for information services and 11.1 percent for online comic books, while only 7.1 percent and 6.1 percent are willing to pay for mobile access to blogs and online forums, respectively, according to the report.

As over 45 percent of Chinese mobile subscribers currently use some type of mobile reading service, Zhang expects that such content services will be attractive to advertisers as they develop.

-YXY