Ad revenues for mobile entertainment in Southeast Asia should generate enough money by 2013 to offset potential losses from piracy, says new research from the Mobile Entertainment Forum.
Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand will see $2.6 million in Ad-Funded Mobile Entertainment (AFME) revenue via some 52 million click-throughs by 2013, according to the MEF report.
That will be enough to compensate cellcos in those markets for losses in revenues from pirated games, music and ringtones, said MEF Asia Chair Stefan Rust.
"This is not just replacing revenues lost through piracy, but also helping to grow mobile entertainment revenues in the long-term," Rust said, noting that 50% of AFME revenue will be used to upsell other premium content by 2013.
The report, available only to MEF members, is the fifth regional research project into AFME conducted by the MEF, albeit the first to cover southeast Asia.