Digital audio advertising up 39% in IAB Full Year Report (2017)


Ad spending on digital audio leaped upward 39% in 2017 over the previous year, according to a newly released report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). Total 2017 ad spend in the category was $1.6-billion, up from $1.1-billion in 2016.

The digital audio results come in the broader context of digital advertising results across video, banners, search, and a few other segments. As a whole, digital advertising became an $88-billion industry in 2017. (Up from $73-million in 2016.)

The supremacy of mobile increased, growing from 51% participation in 2016 to 57% last year. Digital advertising and mobile advertising seem correlated, even if the growth curves aren’t identical.

“Consumers are increasingly spending a tremendous amount of time with interactive screens and content – from mobile to desktop and audio to OTT – and brands are in lockstep with a growing commitment to digital ad buys,” said Randall Rothenberg, CEO, IAB. “Mobile captured more than half of the total digital ad spend last year and we can easily expect that share to continue to climb.”

The revenue was conducted by New Media Group of PwC, and sponsored by the IAB.

Brad Hill