Entertainment-themed websites are most popular with mobile Internet users in the growing Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) markets, who utilize their mobile devices as personal entertainment platforms. In contrast, news and information services are the leading sources of mobile content sought by the more mature American and European markets, according to latest research from The Nielsen Company.

The top 5 categories visited in all four BRIC countries include entertainment, gaming and music websites, which are of lower priority in US and Europe.

Source: Nielsen, Mobile Media Marketplace report, Q1 2008

Email, weather, news, and search are the top categories for both American and European mobile Internet users; in the US, entertainment, music, and games rank 8th, 9th and 10th respectively.

The research also reveals that more than 6.8% of China mobile users have accessed the Internet on their mobile devices. Although Brazil and India trail the rest of the pack, initial penetration in the two countries is an important first step towards attracting new internet users.

Source: Nielsen, Mobile Media Marketplace report, Q1 2008. Note: Mobile Internet penetration excludes web-based email and IM.

Below is a similar diagram presented by Nielsen at MobileBeat 2008 earlier in July. Interestingly, Thailand’s rate of mobile internet penetration at 10% is marginally behind the conventionally tech-advanced European nations, on par with France and ahead of Germany (7%).

Mobile-savvy Japan and Korea are notably missing from the list. The US is the leading market with 16% of mobile browsers, followed by the UK (13%), Italy (12%), Russia (11%), Spain (11%) and China (7%).