Research firm predicts $59bn mobile market by 2010

The mobile entertainment market will see a period of rapid growth over the next four years with revenues rising from $17.6bn to $59bn, according to a report by Juniper Research.

The report states that gambling content will prove most popular with consumers, accounting for 33 per cent of all mobile entertainment and with a market worth $19.3bn by 2009.

"Lotteries are ubiquitous in many countries, and if you start launching lotteries on mobile handsets than you're tapping into a form of gambling in which the majority of adults indulge on a weekly basis, while sports betting and casinos are also high-revenue businesses," said report author Dr Windsor Holden.

The second most popular content will be games, capturing 31 per cent of the market and worth $18.5bn. Music and sports content will make up 16 per cent and 8 per cent of the market respectively.

The report predicts a drop in ringtone sales - with market share falling from 31 per cent at present to 8 per cent by 2009. Non-voice services in the US and Canada will prove increasingly popular, however, with revenues rising from $1bn to $11.3 bn.

White papers and more details of five new studies focusing on adult, gambling, games, music and ringtones and sport and infotainment can be found at juniperresearch.com.