The news: Mobile ad spending will surpass $200 billion in 2024, reaching $203.61 billion, while desktop/laptop spending grows 11% to $76.91 billion, highlighting the widening gap between platforms.

• Mobile represents 65.8% of all digital ad spending in 2024.
• Mobile will gain another $100 billion to reach $305.70 billion by 2028.
• Desktop/laptop will surpass $100 billion ($100.15 billion) by 2027.

Platform shift:

• Desktop/laptop's share will fall below one-quarter (24.9%) of total digital spend in 2024.
• This represents a dramatic shift from 2015, when desktop/laptop commanded 53.7% of digital spend.
• Desktop/laptop growth will slow to single-digit percentages starting in 2025.
• Mobile's share has stabilized and will account for roughly two-thirds of digital spend through 2028.

Market dynamics:

• All devices saw accelerated growth in 2024, though mobile emerged as the clear winner.
• Desktop/laptop continues to grow in absolute terms despite losing share.
• Connected TV represents a growing but still relatively small portion of spend at 9.3%.

Our take: The mobile-desktop divide continues to widen, though not as dramatically as in previous years. While mobile's dominance is clear, desktop/laptop's projected growth to $100 billion by 2027 suggests enduring value in the format. The stabilization of mobile's share to around two-thirds of spending indicates the market may be reaching a natural equilibrium between platforms.

Go further: Consult our US digital ad spending forecast.

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