Television and Fixed Internet Found to be Most Important Information Sources in Japan Following Earthquake and Tsunami

TOKYO, June 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a study on the use of various Japanese media sources in the aftermath of the March earthquake and tsunami disaster based on data from the comScore MobiLens and comScore Media Metrix services. The study found that the largest percentage of people (83 percent) identified television to be very important as an information source after the disaster, followed by fixed Internet (72 percent), radio broadcasts (66 percent) and mobile phones (49 percent).

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"After the events in March, people relied on a variety of media sources for the latest information and developments," said Daizo Nishitani, comScore vice president for Japan. "TV, fixed Internet, radio and mobile phones were all critical communication channels across the country in the days and weeks following the events. The media sources that were most important and useful during this time were heavily influenced by both people's age and regional location, underscoring the fragmented nature of media consumption in Japan."

Television Found to be Most Important Information Source after Disaster

When asked how important various information sources were for obtaining updates after the earthquake and tsunami, 83 percent of people ranked television as very important, while 72 percent cited Internet access through a personal computer. Radio broadcasts were very important for 66 percent of people, while 49 percent specified the use of mobile phones..

The importance of media sources varied considerably across age segments. Compared to older consumers, younger users found PC Internet and mobile devices more important as information sources after the disaster. Approximately 78 percent of people age 35-44 cited the fixed Internet as very important, accounting for the largest percentage of users ranking this medium as very important. Mobile phones were ranked as very important by more than half of users age 13-34, demonstrating the importance of this medium among younger consumers.

In contrast, television and radio broadcasts were more important sources of information for users in older age segments. Within 55-64 year olds, 90 percent ranked TV as very important, as did 91 percent of those 65 and older. Radio was ranked as very important by 75 percent of people age 55-64 and 78 percent of people age 65 and older.

36.5 Million People Turn to their Mobile Phone for Information

An analysis of how people utilized their mobile devices in Japan found that 36.5 million people accessed information on their mobile phones following the earthquake and tsunami, representing 36.2 percent of the mobile population in Japan. Of those that utilized their mobile devices, 72 percent used their mobile browser, 26 percent watched television or video on their mobile, 24 percent received text or email alerts, while 6 percent used a mobile application.

Online Newspaper Sites See Visitation Grow 30 Percent

An analysis of fixed Internet usage revealed a pronounced increase in visitors to online newspaper sites in March. From February 2011 to March 2011, category visitation jumped 30 percent to nearly 32.6 million unique visitors as people turned to the web for the latest national news. Each of the top 10 newspaper sites saw visitation grow by at least double-digits during the month. Asahi Shimbun was the most-visited newspaper destination reaching 14.2 million people, more than doubling its visitor base from February. Mainichi Shimbun followed at 13.5 million (up 47 percent) with Sankei Shimbun reaching 13 million visitors (up 30 percent).

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SOURCE comScore, Inc.