A new study claims that one-third of men age 18-34 accessed mobile media in February.

The same demographic is also said to be highly receptive to SMS advertising, with 9 percent responding to an SMS ad compared with 4 percent for the market average. These data are part of new research from mobile measurement firm M:Metrics.

"It's a highly attractive audience and more receptive to advertising," said Jaimee Minney, vice president of corporate communications at M:Metrics, Seattle.

The male population in Western Europe is more likely to browse and download content on the mobile Web. A quarter of all male mobile phone users in this market accessed mobile media, compared with just under 19 percent of women.

Also, 28 percent of males age 13-17 in Western Europe consume mobile media, while only 12 percent of those 55 and up did the same.

In a way, mobile media's growth is charting the Internet's course.

"There's definitely parallels, in that early adopters tend to be male," Ms. Minney said.

Reaching males age 18-34 is a challenge for advertisers as this demographic is spending less time consuming print and broadcast media, M:Metrics said.

British data from TGI M:Metrics shows that young consumers are spending more time on mobile. In fact, British men age 18-34 account for 56 percent of mobile media users, compared to only 29 percent of television viewers.

In the United States, mobile users are more active consumers of mobile media, the market researcher said. Unlike Europeans, U.S. consumers use SMS less frequently for news and information and are more likely to have data plans. This directly affects consumption of mobile content.

From the European markets, Britain has the highest percentage of mobile media users, at 26.8 percent. It is way ahead of France's 18.5 percent and Germany's 18.4 percent.

Mobile media in Britain is attracting a highly desirable audience that is 44 percent likelier to be called "cash rich, time poor" than the market average, M:Metrics said.

Data from TGI M:Metrics show that one-third of all British mobile media users agree they are tempted to buy products they have seen advertised on mobile. This compares favorably with 29 percent for the cinema and magazines, 28 percent for the Internet, and 26 percent each for radio, newspapers, TV and outdoor.

"Since the early days of mobile advertising, SMS advertising has been an effective way to reach the masses, but advertisers are now actively looking at the mobile Web to access new audiences," said M:Metrics senior analyst Paul Goode in a statement.

"According to TGI M:Metrics, adding mobile to a media plan increases the efficiency of reaching key target groups, a metric that will continue to improve with the growth of 3G and smartphone ownership," he said.