Understand any stock in simple English
Enter a ticker to learn what the company does and how it makes money.
Digital Turbine makes money by helping phone companies and app makers put apps and ads onto new smartphones, and by taking a cut of the money those apps and ads generate.
Digital Turbine is a mobile software company that lives in the space between three groups: phone carriers, app developers, and advertisers. When you buy a new Android phone from a carrier, the apps that are already sitting on it before you even open the box — that's often Digital Turbine's handiwork. The company runs software that lets carriers and device makers pre-load apps and show ads on phones, and it gets paid by app developers and advertisers who want that prime real estate. Its customers are mostly wireless carriers, phone manufacturers, and app companies. Think of it as a matchmaker that gets paid by both sides: it charges app makers to get their apps in front of millions of new phone owners, and it splits some of that money with the carriers who own the phones.
The business has two main parts. The bigger one is its device and app placement business, where apps get installed on phones right out of the box or recommended to users through carrier-branded storefronts. The smaller but fast-growing piece is its advertising side, which it built up largely by buying other ad-tech companies, including AdColony and Fyber. That side runs mobile ads and helps app publishers earn money from their users. Roughly half the revenue comes from the app placement and carrier side, with the ad-tech business making up most of the rest. Revenue recently has been around several hundred million dollars a year, though growth has slowed from its earlier boom years, and the company has been working to cut costs and pay down debt. Digital Turbine started in the early 2010s as a small player helping carriers put apps on phones, and it grew fast through acquisitions, especially during the pandemic when mobile ad spending surged. That rapid expansion left it with a lot of debt, and when ad markets cooled, the stock and results suffered. Management has since focused on reducing that debt, tightening spending, and leaning into newer areas like advertising inside connected TVs and streaming apps. It doesn't pay a dividend. The story now is whether it can turn its carrier relationships and ad technology into steady, profitable growth again after a rocky stretch.
Saved answer · last researched 16 Oct 2026
see a list of the most recent 300 searches below: