Summary
The article discusses the strong recovery and growth of mobile advertising in Q4 2023, particularly for publishers using AppLovin's MAX platform. Key insights include: Year-over-year, daily active viewers (DAV) grew over 7% in tier 1+ countries, and average ad impressions per user increased by 7%. While downloads grew only 3% due to limited new title marketing, revenue surged due to higher ARPDAU and eCPMs. For example, US ARPDAU in November averaged 7% higher YoY, and hybrid casual game revenue on Thanksgiving weekend jumped 23%.
eCPM growth is a major driver. Android CPM rose 33% from July to Thanksgiving, outpacing 2022 trends, while iOS CPM grew 13% versus 9% last year. These gains are attributed to AI advancements improving ad performance, higher bids from in-app bidding (now over 60% of revenue vs 40% last year), and increased advertiser spend. The article emphasizes that this creates a virtuous cycle benefiting the entire mobile ecosystem, with AppLovin playing a key role. Publishers are advised to capitalize on elevated engagement and CPMs during the holiday season, particularly by optimizing for in-app bidding and leveraging AI-driven ad solutions.
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