Join us Dec. 1-3 to connect with leaders from CMI Media Group, Publicis Media, Ogilvy and many more
So-called “mobile-first” publishers get a majority of their traffic from non-desktop devices, but they’re finding that ad revenues aren’t following suit.
Despite the fact that services such as Twitter, Pandora, and The Weather Channel now say around half of their usage comes from mobile, few extract anything close to half of their revenues from the channel. For example, during its earnings call yesterday Pandora reported that 70 percent of all listening now happens on mobile or “non-traditional” devices. Despite that fact, only around half of its advertising revenues comes from mobile, suggesting it’s essentially being propped up by other channels, such as online.
According to data from Facebook, around a third of its traffic now comes from mobile devices, while Twitter reports that it accounts for over half of published tweets. Those companies have to done little to nothing to monetize their mobile audiences to date, even though they continue to grow.
One company that’s proud to tout its mobile focus is the Weather Channel. According to ComScore, the firm’s desktop site racked up 1.1 billion page views in October, while 1.3 billion pages were viewed using phones or tablets. It’s unclear whether its ad sales mix has kept pace, although that’s highly unlikely by all indications. The Weather Channel was unavailable for comment.
Despite the hype around mobile, the fact remains that it’s just harder to extract revenues there. Marketers and advertisers have yet to dedicate substantial budgets to the medium, and consumers are now used to receiving mobile content for free. Mobile ad rates aren’t exactly the highest either. That leaves publishers in the position of having to follow their audiences but without much assurance that doing so will benefit their businesses. As a result Pandora, for one, is reluctant to place all of its eggs in that basket.
“We’re focused on ensuring a great, personalized radio experience for any person, anytime, anywhere — regardless of device — so each way people can stream Pandora has our attention,” a spokesperson said.
More in Media
The rise of the creator conglomerate
As creators like Dhar Mann and MrBeast reach new heights in terms of both following and investor interest, today’s creator media companies are evolving into something much larger. They’re rapidly expanding into new business units beyond content production — and hiring experienced executives to lead the charge.
A day in the life of Stephanie Wu: How Eater’s EIC uses Slack reminders, a color-coded calendar and Google Docs to stay atop her to-do list
Wu joined the Digiday Podcast for the latest installment of the show’s “Day in the Life” series, in which members of the media and marketing industries share their systems and tips for getting through the average work day.
Watch every session from the Digiday Publishing Summit, Fall 2025
Full video recordings of every session from the latest Digiday Publishing Summit are available exclusively for Digiday+ members.