iOS social games and social networking apps are competing with the biggest US prime-time TV shows for audiences and advertisers, says analytics firm Flurry.
The company has produced data claiming that social games on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad have a daily audience of more than 19 million people, who spend more than 22 minutes a day using these apps.
Flurry points out that this is a bigger audience than prime-time US shows like NBC's Sunday Night Football and CBS' Undercover Boss. What's more, it's only four million behind the biggest US show of all, American Idol.
"Since this analysis focuses on only two categories of applications, social games and social networking apps, it’s clear that iOS devices are already ahead of prime time television’s hottest shows," blogs Flurry's Peter Farago.
"Also noteworthy is that the enormous audience these applications reach takes place every day, 365 days a year. Compared to a top television series, which airs 22 episodes a season, advertisers can reach a larger consumer audience through applications 15 times more frequently."


That said, the iOS social gaming audience is more fragmented: brands can still place an ad within American Idol and hope to hit as much as 23 million viewers.
Targeting a similarly-sized audience on iOS is more complicated and fragmented at present, with Apple's iAd network still gathering steam.

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