Reliance Jio most searched keyword by mobile users in 2016: Study

New Delhi: Reliance Jio, which launched its much awaited 4G services last year, was the most searched keyword by mobile users, way ahead of star cricketer Virat Kohli and bollywood superstar Salman Khan, according to 2016 mobile trend released by Alibaba group firm UC News.

"Reliance Jio is the 'Hottest Keyword' of 2016 with 116 million page views in both Hindi and English content, owing to the group's launch of multiple free calls and data services in a scenario where telecom companies are struggling to provide faster and deeper connectivity," UC News report said.

Cricketer Virat Kohli related content on mobile attracted 108 million page views while Salman Khan was most viewed bollywood celebrity with 56 million views by Hindi content viewers and 8 million views by English content watcher.

Actress Priyanka Chopra emerged as the most popular female actor amongst English readers with 8 million views whereas Kareena Kapoor Khan scores with the Hindi-reading audiences with 45 million views, the report said.

UC Browser, which integrates UC News, leads mobile browser segment in India as per web statistics calculator StatCounter.

As per the data, Hindi content readership on mobile phones was 5 times more compared to English news content. Male accounted for 85.5 per cent content consumption on mobile phones while female accounted for 14.5 per cent only, the report said.

Hindi content with bollywood news and celebrities clocked the highest page views followed by society news like crime, disasters etc and politics. Entertainment news was high in demand by English content readers followed by technology and sports.

Uttar Pradesh led the states with highest consumption for news content followed by Maharashtra and Delhi, the report said.

"Increased internet reach and lower prices are pushing users in tier 2 and 3 towns to upgrade from feature phones to smartphones. Many a first-time mobile users are now coming straight on the smartphone, making it a single most important device to meet all their internet, entertainment, content and shopping needs," the report said.

The report finds that there is increased readership of content from self-publishers and key opinion leaders. With growth in consumption of Information Feeds, non-conventional News Feeds ? including blog posts, independent write ups, imagery feeds, videologs, short video content etc have become a huge hit on mobile phones.

"There is a huge potential for user generated content in India. The self-publishing and online content creating industry is set for a major leap, emulating growth in the China market. There are more than 600 mn mobile users and 20 mn online content creators in China. India currently has 371 mn mobile users with miniscule contribution from self-publishing," the report said.