--- title: Mobile and video are driving digital ad growth, but they’re also the riskiest for ad fraud description: eMarketer's 2019 digital ad spend estimates project digital to account for over 50% of total global ad spend, and mobile and video are key drivers of this growth. However, Pixalate's data shows that mobile and video are also the two riskiest categories in terms of ad fraud. image: https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-24%20at%201.59.28%20PM-1.png --- [![pixalate-full-logo](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Pixalate_Logos/pixalate-full-logo.jpg?width=150&height=60&name=pixalate-full-logo.jpg "pixalate-full-logo")](https://www.pixalate.com) Search **Menu** ** ** ![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202019-04-24%20at%201.59.28%20PM-1.png) [Mobile](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/mobile) | [Thought Leadership](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/thought-leadership) | 2 min read # Mobile and video are driving digital ad growth, but they’re also the riskiest for ad fraud Written by [Tyler Loechner](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/author/tyler-loechner) Apr 24, 2019 2:19:49 PM Last week, the [Pixalate blog ](https://www.pixalate.com/digital-ad-spend-rising-fraud-emarketer-projections)covered [eMarketer’s latest Digital Ad Spending report](https://content-na1.emarketer.com/global-digital-ad-spending-2019), which projected that digital advertising will account for about half of global ad spend for the first time ever this year. Yet, Pixalate data also shows that ad fraud is keeping pace with digital ad growth, presenting both opportunities and challenges for advertisers. As we dive further into the data, we see that video and mobile are driving this growth in digital ad spend. Not surprisingly, the fraudsters are following the money and hitting video and mobile the hardest. **Video and mobile are key growth drivers, per eMarketer** The main driver of digital growth is clear. eMarketer states, "Video will continue to be the major driver of growth”. The convergence of video sources is a major factor in the growth we’re seeing. Consumers across the U.S. are making it clear that they don’t care where they watch video, switching between traditional TV, streaming video, watching on social media, and more. In fact, the eMarketer report says “OTT video ad spending is growing faster than we previously thought, and a good share of those impressions are happening on connected TVs”. Advertisers are betting on video this year, and the odds are good that doing so will help advertisers meet their audience where they are spending their time - watching video. Another place consumers are (still) spending their time is on mobile devices. The steady increase in spend on mobile advertising reflects this continued trend. "In another first, US mobile ad spending will account for more than one-third (36.5%) of total media ad spending in 2019, or $87.06 billion”, according to eMarketer. Mobile ad spend has been a consistent portion of digital budgets for several years now and there’s no end in sight. ![mobile ad spend US](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/mobile%20ad%20spend%20US.png?width=600&name=mobile%20ad%20spend%20US.png) **Pixalate data finds video and mobile are also riskiest channels ** In a troublesome reminder of the sophistication of fraudsters, we once again see ad fraud rise in lockstep with brand budgets. [Pixalate’s Q4 Ad Fraud Report 2018](https://info.pixalate.com/ad-fraud-trends-report-update-q4-2018) shows that the highest ad fraud risk can be found at the intersection of video and mobile. In-app video advertising has ad fraud rates much higher than any other video ad environment - Video IVT rates in-app are up to nearly 30%! The eMarketer report shows that mobile is a lucrative advertising channel, now accounting for over one-third of all digital ad spend and rising. Yet, ad fraud is also increasing across mobile devices. Mobile in-app ad fraud grew by 33% in Q4 - from 17.1% to 22.7%. This may be due to a surge in holiday ad spend, which attracted fraudsters and made them more active. How much of eMarketer’s projected $87.06 billion in mobile advertising dollars will be wasted on ad fraud? This should be a major concern for the entire industry. Pixalate has consistently found a strong correlation between ad fraud and ad spend. This indicates that anytime advertising spend benchmarks are released, fraud should be considered when interpreting the data. Pixalate monitors over 10 billion device IDs, more than 38 types of invalid traffic, and is the only Media Ratings Council (MRC) accredited company to help prevent ad fraud across desktop, mobile, OTT and CTV. With ad fraud rates in the double digits across nearly all devices and channels every quarter, advertisers need to take a comprehensive approach to protecting their ad spend from fraudsters. To take a deeper dive into ad fraud across all channels, including video and mobile, which are driving digital ad budgets - [Schedule a demo](https://info.pixalate.com/scheduledemo) and learn more about our ad fraud solutions. [![Schedule a Demo](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2364596/b07eb4ca-c744-4f32-9b8a-51d88476a65e.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2364596/b07eb4ca-c744-4f32-9b8a-51d88476a65e) ### Search Blog Search ### Follow Pixalate ### Subscribe to our blog *By entering your email address and clicking Subscribe, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use ](https://www.pixalate.com/terms)and [Privacy Policy.](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) Previous Story [← Criteo's Trust in the Digital Age 2019 in Dubai](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/trust-in-the-digital-age-2019) [** ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog) Next Story [Pixalate Week in Review: April 22 - 26, 2019 →](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/programmatic-ad-fraud-news-week-in-review-april-26-2019) ## You May Also Like These Stories on Mobile [![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog%20Media/2026%20Covers%20and%20Images/OpenEPG%20landing%20page%20hero%20image.png) ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/pixalate-launches-openepg-1.0-analytics-to-bring-linear-tv-grade-measurement-verification-to-open-programmatic-ctv) [Mobile](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/mobile) ### [Pixalate Launches OpenEPG™ 1.0 Analytics to Bring Linear TV-Grade Measurement & Verification to Open Programmatic CTV; OpenEPG DB™ Unlocks 12,875 Shows From 318 Channels Using Bidstream Bundle ID](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/pixalate-launches-openepg-1.0-analytics-to-bring-linear-tv-grade-measurement-verification-to-open-programmatic-ctv) Jun 16, 2026 8:33:30 AM | 5 min read [![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog%20Media/2026%20Covers%20and%20Images/United%20States%20%26%20GLOBAL%20-%20IVT%20Benchmarks%20-%20Q1%202026.png) ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/q1-2026-ad-fraud-benchmarks-report-for-north-america) [Mobile](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/mobile) ### [Pixalate Releases Q1 2026 North America Invalid Traffic (IVT) & Ad Fraud Benchmarks: United States Mobile Apps See 32% Invalid Traffic (IVT) Rate](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/q1-2026-ad-fraud-benchmarks-report-for-north-america) Apr 29, 2026 8:00:01 AM | 2 min read [![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog%20Media/2026%20Covers%20and%20Images/UNITED%20KINGDOM%20%26%20GERMANY%20%26%20GLOBAL%20-%20IVT%20Benchmarks%20-%20Q1%202026.png) ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/q1-2026-ad-fraud-benchmarks-report-for-emea) [Mobile](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/mobile) ### [Pixalate Releases Q1 2026 EMEA Invalid Traffic (IVT) & Ad Fraud Benchmarks: United Kingdom Connected TV (CTV) Most at Risk with 46% IVT Rate](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/q1-2026-ad-fraud-benchmarks-report-for-emea) Apr 29, 2026 8:00:00 AM | 2 min read ** ### Subscribe to our blog *By entering your email address and clicking Subscribe, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use ](https://www.pixalate.com/terms)and [Privacy Policy.](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) ![pixalate-logo-red-small](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2018NewTemplate/pixalate-logo-red-small.png?width=208&name=pixalate-logo-red-small.png "pixalate-logo-red-small") ** By entering your email address and clicking Subscribe, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.pixalate.com/terms) and [Privacy Policy](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) Products [Analytics](https://www.pixalate.com/products/analytics) [Blocking](https://www.pixalate.com/products/blocking) [Media Rating Terminal](https://www.pixalate.com/products/mrt) [Publisher Trust Indexes](https://www.pixalate.com/rankings/?group=app&reportId=publisherTrustIndex) [Seller Trust Indexes](https://www.pixalate.com/rankings/?group=app&reportId=publisherTrustIndex) [IoT Device Rankings](https://www.pixalate.com/rankings/?group=app&reportId=iotDeviceReach) Resources [Blog](https://blog.pixalate.com/) [Press](https://www.pixalate.com/press) [Careers](https://www.pixalate.com/jobs) [Team](https://info.pixalate.com/pixalate-leadership-team) Contact Email [** sales@pixalate.com ](mailto:sales@pixalate.com) [** privacy@pixalate.com ](mailto:privacy@pixalate.com) US: [** +1 888 749 2528 ](tel:+1%20888%20749%202528) EU: [** +44 (0)800 011 2050 ](tel:+44%20(0)800%20011%202050) Slack: [Join ATSAPI Slack Channel ](https://atsapi-pixalate.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-10dtow5cj-OEtlNr5yzJkrZMQUqcEEow#/shared-invite/email) Offices Global Offices US 1775 Greensboro Station Place, Suite 425, McLean, VA 22102 UK 20 North Audley Street London, W1K 6WE, United Kingdom EU 10 Earlsfort Terrace Dublin 2, D02 T380, Ireland Singapore 10 Anson Road, #22-02 International Plaza, Singapore 079903 [![facebook](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/facebook.png) ](https://www.facebook.com/pixalate) [![x](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/twitter-x.png) ](https://twitter.com/pixalateinc) [![linkedin](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/linkedin.png) ](https://www.linkedin.com/company/pixalate) ![wechat](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/wechat.png) [![slack](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/slack.png) ](https://atsapi-pixalate.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-10dtow5cj-OEtlNr5yzJkrZMQUqcEEow#/shared-invite/email) [Terms of Use](https://www.pixalate.com/terms) [Privacy Policy](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) [GDPR Compliance](https://www.pixalate.com/gdpr) Disclaimer Copyright © 2025 Pixalate [Back to top **](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/mobile-video-driving-digital-ad-spend-growth-fraud#) # Disclaimer Disclaimer: The content of this page reflects Pixalate’s opinions with respect to the factors that Pixalate believes can be useful to the digital media industry. Any proprietary data shared is grounded in Pixalate’s proprietary technology and analytics, which Pixalate is continuously evaluating and updating. Any references to outside sources should not be construed as endorsements. Pixalate’s opinions are just that - opinion, not facts or guarantees. Per the MRC, “'Fraud' is not intended to represent fraud as defined in various laws, statutes and ordinances or as conventionally used in U.S. Court or other legal proceedings, but rather a custom definition strictly for advertising measurement purposes. Also per the MRC, “‘Invalid Traffic’ is defined generally as traffic that does not meet certain ad serving quality or completeness criteria, or otherwise does not represent legitimate ad traffic that should be included in measurement counts. Among the reasons why ad traffic may be deemed invalid is it is a result of non-human traffic (spiders, bots, etc.), or activity designed to produce fraudulent traffic.” ** ** *By clicking Download and entering your email address, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.pixalate.com/terms) and have read and acknowledge our [Privacy Policy](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/2024-08-20_Pixalate_Privacy_Policy.pdf). *Copyright © 2025 Pixalate** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * × ## Subscribe to the Pixalate Blog The first step in ad fraud prevention. Loading... By entering your email address and clicking Submit, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.pixalate.com/terms) and [Privacy Policy](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy). ![pixalate-logo-white](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog_V2_08_26_2016/logo/Pixalate_Logo_WHITE.png) ##### Contact Us12 Loading... ![pixalate-logo-white](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog_V2_08_26_2016/logo/Pixalate_Logo_WHITE.png) ##### Download GSTI Loading... Schedule your demo today Please complete all fields Loading... By entering your email address and clicking Submit, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.pixalate.com/terms) and [Privacy Policy](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy). * * * * *