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Mobile set to depose TV as global ad king

Proliferation of mobile devices and explosion of data traffic carried by smartphones and tablets driving sector’s advertising appeal
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Global Internet ad spending is set to depose television as the world’s No. 1 advertising category, according to a new report from FIPP Insight and World Newsmedia Network.

The report from the international magazine media association projects mobile devices will be the biggest contributor to growth in ad spending.

World Media Trends 2015 estimates that mobile advertising, which includes all Internet and in-app ads delivered to smartphones and tablet computers, is growing nine times faster than desktop Internet advertising.

The FIPP report projects that annual mobile Internet advertising will grow by an average of 39.8% between 2014 and 2017 compared with a 4.6% annual increase in desktop Internet advertising during the same period.

Citing ZenithOptimedia numbers, the report estimated that global spending on mobile advertising in 2014 was US$27.4 billion, or 22.1% of Internet ad spending and 5.3% of total global advertising spending.

According to the report, Zenith projects that number to increase to US$75 billion, or 40.4% of Internet and 12.7% of total advertising spending, by 2017.

The report added that mobile is now the main driver of growth in global advertising spending and will contribute US$47.5 billion between 2014 and 2017 compared with $17.6 billion from television, the second-largest contributor.

Mobile’s growth as an advertising medium is being driven by the huge growth in the number of mobile devices worldwide and what the report projects will be the 57% compounded increase in global mobile data traffic between 2014 and 2019.