Half of UK consumers aware of mobile ad blockers

The research, conducted via a mobile survey from Instantly, revealed that 55% of those surveyed found mobile ads generally annoying and disruptive and choose to skip or ignore them. However, only 16% said they would be willing to pay to avoid ads and of those, 75% would pay only £1-2 for ad-free content.

While 47% had heard of mobile ad blockers as a way to avoid ads, 39% said they would install one if it was offered to them.

“Ad blocking is currently being discussed in the news on a daily basis, but all the stories are focusing on the media itself and not the consumers,” said Ben Leet, UK MD of Instantly.

“Our research helps brands, publishers and advertisers understand consumer attitudes towards ad blocking, and how they can potentially address this big issue. It also provides evidence that, when messaged correctly, programmatic advertising will be favoured by consumers as well as media buyers.”