iOS edged out Android in mobile ad marketshare last month, according to a new report from mobile marketing company Velti.
The report is based on data collected from 33,405 apps via the Mobclix Exchange, which Velti acquired in 2010. It says that at the end of 2011, iOS and Android both had 50 percent marketshare, but that iOS pulled ahead in March, with 53 percent marketshare for the month.
March also saw the launch of the new iPad. Apple has already called it “the strongest iPad launch yet,” with 3 million units sold in three days. That’s reflected in Velti’s numbers too — the report says that the new iPad accounted for 2.2 percent of all iPad ad impressions this month, compared to 1.5 percent for the iPad 2 in its first month.
The report also has data on the most lucrative ad formats and apps. Not surprisingly, larger ads made more money for publishers — a fullscreen iPhone ad saw an average eCPM (price paid per thousand impressions) of $1.22, compared to 59 cents for a standard 300 by 50 banner. On Android, the average eCPM was $1.14 for fullscreen and 33 cents for a standard banner. (The difference on the low end reflects “advertiser demand and preference towards iOS,” Velti says.) Weather apps had the highest eCPM ($1.24), followed by education ($1.17) and lifestyle ($0.89).