Research into mobile news services

The proposal I’ve been working on for the Sol Plaatje Media Institute in South Africa is getting more complicated by the day. Its topic is ‘A Qualitative Case Study of Sustainable and Profitable Mobile News Services in South Africa’ and can be divided into three smaller research opportunities.

First of all there are the media houses themselves, then the advertisers and lastly the audience.

Several questions pop-up: how sustainable are mobile news platforms for media houses and are mobile solutions profitable? Do advertisers want to pay for cell-phone advertisements and are South Africans prepared to pay for news content on their cell phones?

Ultimately

Obviously these are topics that need to be researched: most South Africans have access to cell phones and research into mobile platforms have not been this complete and detailed. It will not only contribute to the knowledge of the media houses but also examine its target audience and the advertisement market. Ultimately, it would provide a resource that other African media houses can consult when developing a mobile content platform.

If there are people or companies who can assist, have helpful hints or ideas, you can leave a comment or contact Elvira.