Mobile TV can have a significant impact on handset sales according to the details of what Telegent Systems says is the industry's first post-sale mobile TV survey.

Telegent's study was conducted in China where there are now more than three million users of free-to-air mobile TV. It found that 85% of respondents stated that the primary influence driving their handset purchase decision was the built-in free-to-air TV feature, as opposed to screen size, camera, music capability, or fashion.

It also revealed that free-to-air TV continues to be a compelling feature after purchase, with 74% of respondents watching television on their handset for thirty minutes or more at a time, and 54% watching five times a week.

The consumers in Telegent's survey not only integrated free-to-air mobile TV into their daily routine, but also found long-term value in the feature. At the time of handset purchase, 90% found the free-to-air TV feature interesting or useful, and this remained true after four to six months of use. 60% of users proactively recommended the feature to friends and family.

Almost half of those surveyed watched TV on their handset while travelling, with 43% watching at home and 17% while at the office. Mobile TV was found to be most popular between 7-8 pm, followed by a morning commute peak of 7-9 am, allowing operators and broadcasters to reach a broader audience in a variety of locations.

The survey also showed a marked increase in mobile TV consumption with a strong preference for long-form programming. Just over half (54%) of users surveyed five months ago watched mobile TV for ten minutes at a time, whereas 74% of the respondents surveyed in 2008 watched mobile TV for thirty minutes or longer.

Telegent's survey also showed that key drivers for consumer awareness have been hands-on experience at the retail store (49%) and recommendations from friends and family (35%). More passive channels, such as TV and Internet, played a much less significant role, suggesting, said Telegent, that personal experience with the TV feature either at or prior to the point of purchase has been key to spurring initial uptake.

Picture quality also played a key role in market adoption, with 88% of respondents finding the quality acceptable. Not surprisingly, the consumers in the study who perceived quality as acceptable watched TV more frequently, for longer durations and were more likely to recommend the mobile TV feature to family and friends.

For this survey, Telegent interviewed more than 400 consumers who purchased Telegent-enabled handsets, half of which were interviewed in February 2008, and the other half of which were interviewed between July and September of 2007.