IMImobile, a provider of mobile content and value added services, found that Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar and Sanjay Dutt were most downloaded movie stars (male) in terms of mobile content in states like Delhi, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra.
In the female category, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta and Aishwarya Rai were the top five names.
The study took into account mobile content, which includes film ringtones to graphics and wallpapers of the stars.
Bollywood ringtones generate around Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion) annually, with the 50 million mobile phone subscribers downloading approximately 300,000 ringtones daily, according to trade experts.
Vishwanath Alluri, CEO and founder of IMImobile, says: "India has the fastest-growing mobile population in the world and is projected to reach 400 million by 2010. Mobile music downloads top the bill and are currently valued at Rs 160-180 crore (Rs 1.6 to Rs 1.8 billion)
in the domestic market alone."
The music content market is mainly driven by Bollywood and Tollywood industry aficionados. Bollywood producers like Shah Rukh and Farhan Akhtar have used the mobile value-added service route and made profits prior to commercial release of films Don and Om Shanti Om, respectively.
Om Shanti Om, with a budget of Rs 45 crore (Rs 450 million), was sold to Eros International for a whopping Rs 74 crore (Rs 74 million), according to industry sources.
Mono and polyphonic ringtones currently sell at a 75:25 ratio, while the fastest-growing ringtone genre is ring back tones with about 3.5 million users.
According to the research, mobile music, ringtones and downloads are particularly popular with the youth. The IMImobile study shows that when it comes to downloading mobile graphics (from WAP sites), Priyanka Chopra is the most popular star.
