MoPub: iOS trumped Android for mobile ad value in Q1 2013

iOS arguably dominated the mobile ad market during the first quarter of 2013, trouncing Android in both ad spend and value, based on a new report.

MoPub, a hosted ad server for mobile publishers worldwide, issued its quarterly update on Thursday, recapping mobile ad spend and value, among other topics.

Android suffered a 14 percent decrease in the value of mobile ads during Q1 while iOS saw an increase of nearly 15 percent.

Analysts summed up in the report that during the first quarter, "many ad buyers discovered the increase in user value on Android devices was offset by a poor conversion rate of users from of ads."

Here's more:

After CPM and CTR declines in February, all three iOS devices recouped their losses and exceeded their January metrics in March. The unprecedented March ad spend growth, which carried Q1 after just a couple of weeks, was powered by both the addition of brand budgets, and the flight of ad spend back to higher priced and higher quality iOS inventory.

When it comes to ad spend, the iOS share grew slightly to 75 percent -- although iPad and iPod shares declined.

But it's a different story for the iPhone as monthly ad spend share grew 12.4 percent over the quarter, accounting for more than half by of the entire pie by itself.