Google's US ad revenue to take a hit due to pandemic

Google’s US advertising revenue will drop 5.3% during coronavirus pandemic

Google’s US advertising revenue will drop 5.3% as brands pare spending during the coronavirus pandemic, according to an eMarketer report on Monday, the first decline since 2008 when the research firm began estimating the Alphabet unit’s ad revenues.

Google launches its own Pinterest-like service

The decline for the world’s largest digital advertising company is primarily due to its heavy reliance on travel companies that advertise in Google searches, which has been the hardest-hit industry during the pandemic, eMarketer said.

The forecast shows how the health crisis has hurt even the largest advertising platforms, as ad spending typically follows economic conditions and demand from consumers.

EU antitrust regulators to investigate Apple's App Store, Apple Pay

Google had been expected to grow its US ad revenue by almost 13%, according to eMarketer’s first-quarter forecast which did not account for the pandemic.

Facebook, the second-largest digital ad company, is expected to increase its US ad revenue by nearly 5% this year, far less than the 26% growth in 2019, the research firm said.