Every quarter, BIA sizes the entire U.S. local advertising market — hundreds of markets, dozens of verticals, eighteen media channels. One channel keeps pulling away from the rest. Mobile isn’t just big. It’s the single largest channel in local media.
This is the topic of BIA’s latest Local Media Channel Brief. This new format breaks down and dives deeper into each of the eighteen media channels noted above. And in this edition, mobile is the centerpiece.
Quantifying mobile’s scale, it’s projected to drive $45.2 billion in spending this year, growing to $68.5 billion in 2030 – the largest single media channel in BIA’s local media forecast. Made up of search, social, messaging, and other resonant formats, it’s also one of the fastest-growing categories, achieving 9 percent YoY growth in 2026.
Segmenting mobile ad spend, Search leads the mix today — but social is closing the gap fast, and the balance of power is shifting in ways that will reshape local budgets over the next few years.
So what’s driving mobile’s appeal? It’s ubiquitous – offering ample reach – while inherent targeting capabilities unlock high-performance. For example, mobile users’ action-oriented intent sparks high conversions for lower-funnel outcomes. Altogether, it’s a rare full-funnel play. And digital marketers are voting with their wallets.
Accelerating all of the above, tech giants continue to propel mobile advertising as its core to their businesses. This includes investments in advancing ad targeting, such as Google and Meta’s moves to integrate AI to boost campaign performance. Meanwhile, Apple and Amazon continue to diversify their revenue mix, and new ad products are helping them do that.
Speaking of AI, it lies on the horizon as the next ad medium. Beyond its use as a tool to boost and hypertarget existing ad programs, AI engines like ChatGPT are increasingly integrating ads. This mirrors the business case for search advertising, in that user queries and prompts often carry high commercial intent. This is something BIA will be watching closely.
Meanwhile, how does all the above translate to strategic takeaways for today? How can media companies position their owned and affiliate mobile channels to maximize revenue and retention? And what’s the 1+1=3 opportunity to utilize mobile to amplify the value of broader media bundles? These questions are tackled in the latest Local Media Channel Brief.
Accessing the Brief
The brief is available for download to all BIA ADVantage clients. Login here and go to Guides and Insights to view. The report can also be purchased on our shopping cart here.
