“Mobile is about fun and instant gratification,” Juniper Research Director Bruce Gibson said in a statement. “I think the biggest opportunity is at the casual and softer end of the adult market — not the hardcore stuff.”
Juniper further estimated that mobile adult will generate $14.5 billion in revenue in a five-year period through 2011, with the European continent accounting for 39 percent and Pacific-rimmed Asia 33 percent.
The research company said that the introduction of 3G mobile networks and handsets with enhanced video and graphics capabilities has contributed to much of the growth of mobile content targeting adults.
By 2011 video-based services will account for more than 70 percent of mobile adult content market revenue, Juniper said.
“Adult content business models have succeeded in other major delivery media,” Gibson said. “There is no reason why the mobile channel should not be equally profitable for adult content industry players.
The study did not elaborate on the U.S. mobile adult market, where a web of networking and regulatory issues have put a stranglehold on expansion.