Can the web homefield advantage win the Super Bowl?

If “yes”, Patriots win the Super Bowl

In this month’s State of the Mobile Web report from browser maker Opera Software, we take a look at the online popularity of the different NFL teams participating in the playoffs.

Fans may believe it is their passion that drives teams to victory, we put that belief to the test.  If true, obsessive fans accessing mobile content about their teams from mobile devices should provide a good measure of fan engagement and could “predict” the outcome of games.

Using anonymous and aggregated data, we investigated the popularity of the different teams as the playoffs went on. In the initial rounds of analysis, the data was inconclusive, but, in the semifinals, the analysis was spot on and predicted the outcome of the two games.

A solid round of office high fives were in order when the prediction was spot on, and the optimism spread from analysts to other branches of the Opera offices.

With the online popularity as an indicator for on-field success, we predict that the New England Patriots should win over the NY Giants on the 5th of February.

The question remains on whether it’s wise to base one’s bets on the online popularity of a team...

“I’m betting everything I have in my online betting account at the moment on the Patriots,” said Nils Broström, VP of Communications, Opera Software. “That means if the analysis is correct, I get a whooping USD 26 on the Patriots winning the Superbowl.” For reference, that’s the equivalent of three Big Mac burgers in Oslo, Norway.

Strong user growth for Opera Mini

In December 2011, there were over 152.6 million unique Opera Mini users, a 5.57% increase from November 2011. Since December 2010, the number of unique users has increased 78.45% on a global basis. A sharp uptick in number of pages transcoded is also noted, and Opera Mini users viewed over 103.1 billion pages in December 2011. Since December 2010, page views have increased 120.7%.

Data consumed

In December 2011, Opera Mini users generated over 1,663 million MB of data for operators worldwide, up 17% over November 2011 and 135.5% year over year.

The Opera Mini browser features compression technology, advanced yet transparent to the user, making webpages available for all possible users globally.

The whole report is available to read at www.opera.com/smw/.

About Opera Software ASA

The worldwide World Wide Web — any device, any platform, any bandwidth, absolutely anywhere in the world. Opera Software was founded in 1994, based on the idea that access to the Web should be a universal right. 220 million people (and counting) use the Opera web browsers for computers, mobile phones, TVs and other connected devices. Opera also delivers tools, distribution, engagement, monetization and market insights to developers, publishers and brands around the world. We are passionate about breaking down barriers, so everyone can share in the power of the Internet. Our vision of one Web for all remains at the heart of what we do, because we believe that participation changes everything. Opera Software ASA is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol OPERA. Learn more about Opera at www.opera.com.