(5 December 2005 2:00 pm)

MUMBAI: When it comes to delivery platforms, consumers are increasingly looking for their handheld device; whether it be the cell phone, PDA, iPod or laptop.

The mobile revolution was chosen as the number one trend in digital entertainment in a survey that Nielsen did with a group of digital entertainment and media professionals. The other top trends are wireless connectivity, location awareness, pull dynamics, IPTV, high speed broadband, convergence, mass market games, custom media and immersive media.

52 per cent of approximately 140 million mobile phone users in the US are planning to buy a new phone within the next year.

A recent study by Nielsen Entertainment Benchmarking Mobile Entertainment November 2005 looks at opportunities afforded by the current mobile revolution -- as identified by a sample of entertainment industry insiders attending the
first-ever Demxpo (Digital Entertainment and Media) conference in Los Angeles.

Among the top challenges that were identified were digital rights management, standards, the generation gap and declining production costs. These are the most pressing issues that are keeping entertainment executives up at night.