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Mobile Monday: AdColony Among the Most Popular Advertising Platform SDKs, Ad-supported Mobile Games Attract Committed Players

Posted Jun 27, 2021

It’s been about two months since the release of iOS 14.5 and the shakeup it caused in mobile is undoubtedly significant. While the industry is still assessing its impact, there have been reports released recently that give some insight into the aftermath. App Annie published their list of the most popular SDKs since iOS 14.5 was released and AdColony made the list! Meanwhile, new research says that more than half of mobile gamers are playing free-to-play games with ads. Get more details in this week’s Mobile Monday!

AdColony Makes the Top Ten List of Advertising Platform SDKs

App Annie released a list of the most popular SDKs since the iOS 14.5 release and unsurprisingly, Apple came out on top based on unique iOS installs globally. The top six SDKs are all from tools and utilities categories which means that functionality is most important to developers when creating an excellent user experience for their audience. Looking specifically at advertising platform SDKs, Google’s Admob and AdX took the top two spots while AdColony made the top ten. UnityAds, Facebook Audience Network, Flurry, Applovin and Chartboost. ironSource, ByteDance, MoPub, Tencent and Amazon all made it on the top 20 list as well.

According to App Annie, mobile ad spend will surpass $290 billion in 2021 resulting in a 2-year CAGR of 21% and will boost the advertising industry overall. Ad platforms will continue to play an integral role in the mobile ecosystem. The list also includes the top ad attribution SDKs that are used to understand the efficacy of ads and the best return on ad spend. Google’s Firebase SDK and Google Analytics SDK were in top demand for ad attribution. Other notable players in attribution include Appsflyer SDK, Branch SDK, GameAnalytics SDK, and Adjust SDK.

Most Mobile Gamers Prefer Free Games with Ads

New data from Toluna and Harris Interactive revealed that advertising-supported mobile games are most popular and attract more committed players. More than half of mobile gamers surveyed said they have played free-to-download mobile games that have ads in the past year, either without in-app purchases (53%) or with (51%). This means free games are more popular than paid download games and mobile subscriptions. Additionally, players that use free games are more committed to the titles they play. Gamers who play free games with no in-app purchases play an average of 6.3 of these games. In contrast, users of subscriptions spread their attention across an average of 8.2 games.

The data also showed that ad-supported gaming sessions may be shorter. This occurs often in casual games, which usually have ads and have a lower level of consumption than more complex games. While advertisers may be able to reach a committed audience with in-game advertising, they might have a limited amount of time to drive engagement. Research also confirmed that rewarded ads are the most popular type of advertising in mobile games. More than half (54%) of players say they like rewarded ads, followed by 50% liking rewarded task ads, where the player completes a task for in-game rewards, and 41% liking playable/interactive ads.

About AdColony Mobile Mondays
Mobile Monday examines the latest news, trends, and developments in mobile apps, tech, and advertising. Do you have a story to share for the next Mobile Monday?   

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