Android continues to close the gap with iOS in mobile advertising revenue, while its share of impressions is now almost double that of iOS, according to the Opera Mediaworks’ State of Mobile Advertising report.
Earlier this year, Android overtook iOS in impression volume. The gap widened further in the third quarter of 2014, with Android devices capturing 58% of impressions vs. iOS at 30%.
In monetization terms, Google’s mobile OS gained three percentage points, compared to Q2, reaching nearly 42% of revenue in Q3. Apple still commands higher revenue at 51%, but it is lower than Q2, when it was at 53%.
Mobile video on the rise
For the first time, 1 in 10 mobile ads delivered in the United States are video. In addition, video eCPMs (effective cost per thousand impressions) were eight times higher than banner ads and two times higher than rich-media ads. The data comes from Opera Mediaworks’ most recent acquisition, the mobile-video ad platform, AdColony.
“We’re seeing brands continue to embrace the power of sight, sound and motion by investing in mobile video advertising as a key component of their marketing strategies,” says Will Kassoy, CMO and CEO of Opera Mediaworks and AdColony, respectively.
“Mobile video is clearly a big catalyst for the industry, fueled by higher production value content — especially in native apps — together with an insatiable demand from consumers for video experiences. At Opera Mediaworks, we are pleased to see this momentous shift in the app ecosystem and are well positioned to capitalize on these market trends.”
In 2014, mobile video impressions grew 3.5 times, and mobile video continues to be the fastest growing category in mobile advertising. Overall, brand spending on in-app HD mobile video ads has increased by 36% from the previous quarter.
Advertisers running video-ad campaigns on apps in the Shopping, Sports, Social and Health & Fitness categories saw the highest percentages from the upper 80s into the high 90s.
Social networking is still the most popular category in mobile advertising, accounting for about 1 in 5 ad impressions. At the same time, Music, Video and Media sites and apps drive the most revenue, with 23%.
Though the United States is still the leader, with 44% of impressions and 58% of revenue, the non-U.S. Americas (Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean) have nearly doubled their share of impressions in the last quarter and now account for nearly 1 in 10 mobile ad impressions, globally.
Asia, on the other hand, still struggles with monetization. The region is in second place for impressions, Europe, with 17%.
iOS 8 adoption slower than iOS 7
One week after the release of iOS 8, it accounted for just under 29% of impressions served to Apple devices. The same metric for iOS 7 is far greater: one week after its 2013 release, the adoption rate was more than double (65%).
