Mobile Rich Media Ads Continue Strong Growth, Led by iOS

According to Medialets, a rich media ad platform for mobile, mobile rich media ads are surging, led mostly by iOS devices. The company’s recent figures also show fragmentation for Android devices.

Medialets’ inventory grew 275 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010. Part of this growth was attributed to the growth of Medialets-enabled apps, while another part was attributed to the overall jump in app usage “as more consumers became hooked on the convenience of mobile weather, news, entertainment, sports, lifestyle and healthcare apps.”

Premium app inventory for iOS overtook Android in the fourth quarter, though Medialets is quick to point out that Android has leapfrogged iOS in U.S. market share.

Android is, as most know, plagued by fragmentation, though “the reality is that, for premium inventory, a smaller percentage of devices represent a larger share of inventory.” The top three Android devices (the Verizon Droid, the HTC EVO and Motorola’s Droid X) account for 35 percent of premium app inventory for all Android devices.

Meanwhile, the top 10 Android devices account for 63 percent of premium app inventory, while the top 25 devices account for 89 percent, and the top 50 account for 97 percent.

For Android app inventory, Verizon led the pack with 48.53 percent of distribution in the fourth quarter, pre-iPhone. Sprint followed with 24.75 percent, while T-Mobile claimed third place with 17.66 percent. AT&T was fourth with 3.37 percent.

In terms of manufacturers of Android devices, HTC accounted for 38.69 percent of inventory in the fourth quarter, followed by Motorola with 34 percent and Samsung with 19.74 percent.

Inventory for both the iPhone and iPad climbed during the fourth quarter, with 67.99 percent of iOS devices running the most recent version of the OS.

Automotive was the leading vertical for mobile rich media inventory in the fourth quarter with 34.94 percent, followed by restaurants with 24.88 percent, entertainment with 15.16 percent, finance with 11.68 percent, business with 3.72 percent, technology with 3.03 percent and retail with 2.13 percent.

While 2010 was mostly a “coming out” year for mobile, “The growth of smartphones and tablets, diversification of platforms and continued success of mobile rich media ad formats indicates that mobile advertising will hit a great stride in the coming year,” according to Medialets.

Source:

http://www.medialets.com/medialets-data-spotlight-mobile-rich-media-momentum-q4-2011/