Ad Blocking Forecast to Cost $35 Billion by 2020

The doomsday scenario for publishers is that ad blocking becomes easier, more well known and regularly used. One researcher estimates that if ad blocking rates maintain at their current levels — and publishers do little more to combat ad blocking than they already are — they will lose $35 billion by 2020.

Informa Group’s research arm Ovum believes if publishers continue to respond to the ad-blocking threat with measured approaches, by 2020, revenue losses from ad blocking will be $10.5 billion (£7 billion) in the U.S., and $1.9 billion (£1.3 billion) in the U.K. The silver lining to that steep bill: It’s far lower than the $78 billion in losses Ovum predicts if nothing whatsoever is done to address ad blocking.

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