eMarketer report forecasts British mobile ad spend will increase by 45% this year to £3.26bn and rise by another 35% next year to £4.4bn

The explosion in the popularity of handheld devices will see mobile advertising overtake the £2.6bn newspaper and magazine market this year, and leapfrog TV to become the biggest ad medium in the UK, according to a new forecast.

Mobile ad spend is expected to increase by 45% this year to £3.26bn in the UK, easily surpassing the £2.67bn that will be spent on print advertising across national and local newspapers and magazines, according to a report published on Wednesday by eMarketer.