SensorTower Articles

The 2026 Sports Report reveals key trends for ad ops: FIFA World Cup drove record sports app downloads (137M in Q2 2026), with Latin America surging to 77M. Prediction markets (Kalshi, Polymarket) are rapidly gaining share in US sports wagering, now 16% of cohort MAUs, offering new ad inventory. WNBA audience grew 5x in two years, attracting diverse advertisers like Health & Wellness (+10x YoY) and CPG (+8x), signaling expanding opportunities beyond traditional sports. Mobile engagement peaked during the tournament, making major events critical for user acquisition.

The Sensor Tower MCP server bridges AI chatbots to Sensor Tower and Pathmatics data, enabling ad ops teams to query app advertising and performance insights directly. It eliminates manual spreadsheet exports, allowing executives, ad sales, growth marketing, UA, and investors to access competitor analysis, campaign tracking, and market trends via natural language. Requires an active API subscription.

Live sports streaming is driving significant user engagement and ad revenue for platforms like Peacock, Fox Sports, Paramount+, and Apple TV. Key insights for ad ops: Peacock and Paramount+ skew female with high sports/gambler personas, while Apple TV and Fox Sports are male-dominated. Ad spend concentration is high: Fox devoted 48% of budget to World Cup ads, Paramount 20.6% to UFC. Netflix lags in sports audiences, presenting gaps. Summer Olympics will further intensify opportunities for targeted ad placements.

Digital banking ad impressions surpassed 50B quarterly with spend above $350M by Q1 2026, driven by mobile-first adoption. Neobanks like Nubank lead downloads, while traditional banks modernize apps. SeaBank's integration with Shopee exemplifies ecosystem-driven acquisition. For ad ops, key takeaways: prioritize mobile channels, leverage partnerships for scale, and balance reach with trust-building to sustain engagement.

Whiteout Survival led global mobile game revenue in June 2026, driven by strategic live-ops events. Key revenue drivers include themed updates, IP collaborations (e.g., MONOPOLY GO! with Simpsons), and real-world sports tie-ins (FIFA World Cup). Downloads were led by ROBLOX and Free Fire, with directional puzzle games gaining traction. For ad ops, targeting during event-driven spikes and leveraging cultural moments can optimize campaign performance. Note that third-party Android data is excluded.

Digital retail maturity shifts focus from downloads to omnichannel experiences, engagement, and ecosystems. Key data: 8.7B app downloads, 400B web visits, mobile 59% of web visits in Q1 2026. Competitive advantage comes from quick commerce, loyalty, content-led discovery, and connected in-store. For ad ops, prioritize engagement and frequency over acquisition; mobile is dominant; ecosystem expansion is critical.

Global eCommerce web traffic hit record highs in Q4 2025, with visits up 9% YoY and unique visitors up 21%. Mobile growth stabilizes, making web a critical acquisition channel. India leads with 58B visits (+28% YoY). Temu ranks #2 cross-platform; SHEIN's web visitors surged 70% YoY. Fashion eCommerce web visits rose 54% YoY. Nykaa's net profit surged 183% as it shifts ad spend from Tier-1 to Tier-2/3 cities and leverages content-driven referrals. Ad ops should prioritize web channel optimization and emerging market expansion.

Slay the Spire II generated $140M revenue in 3 months, with 1.7M DAU and 5M MAU. The sequel outperformed the original by 2.5x revenue and sold 3M more copies. A discounted bundle drove 4M purchases in the first week, boosting both titles. The co-op mode (up to 4 players) adds unique mechanics, attracting multiplayer audiences. Despite early access, it is Steam's top seller for 2026, proving small indie hits can compete with major titles. For ad ops, this signals the growing value of franchise bundling and co-op features in driving user acquisition and retention.

Pet supplies emerged as a dominant retail media category in 2025, with three of the top six advertisers being pet brands. Purina led with 6B impressions across 18 RMNs. Facebook was the preferred channel for over half of top brands, but strategies varied: Freshpet and Basepaws used Amazon OnSite Display heavily, while Nexgard focused on OTT. Chewy and Amazon captured the largest impression share. At Walmart, pet supply impressions hit a 3-year high in April 2026, driven by Delectables' on-site display and Walmart's own Facebook campaign using Blue Buffalo. The fragmented landscape highlights the need for multi-platform strategies.

The 2026 GCC app growth report reveals a shift from acquisition to monetization, with IAP revenue surging 41% (4.5x faster than 9% download growth). Seasonality remains critical but engagement is diverging from installs: OTT downloads rose 48% during Ramadan 2026, yet time spent declined. Shopping's peak windows drive nearly 20% of annual downloads. Marketers must recalibrate strategies, focusing on durable engagement rather than peak-driven installs.

AI is reshaping digital advertising as platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini become new discovery channels. Key findings: ChatGPT ad impressions surged 7x since March 2026, and AI-related ad spend tripled in Q1 2026. Early advertisers are concentrated in Shopping, Software, Travel, and Financial Services. AI assistants drive referral traffic to retailers, with Walmart and Target exceeding 1.5% GenAI share. Competition among AI platforms is intensifying, with Claude gaining professional users. For ad ops, integrating AI into media plans and optimizing for AI-driven discovery is critical.

Gen AI apps have become the primary growth engine of the non-gaming market, with revenue surging 232% YoY to $6.1 billion between Q2 2025 and Q1 2026. The US leads with 38% of global revenue, while Japan and Korea emerge as key growth markets. AI Assistants are increasingly concentrated, with ChatGPT dominating, but vertical segments like AI Companions, AI Agents, and AI Image & Video offer fragmented, high-growth opportunities. Lessons from Plaud highlight success through vertical focus, deep localization, and precision advertising. For ad ops, targeting vertical AI segments and localized user acquisition strategies present significant opportunities.

Short drama apps are reshaping mobile entertainment, surpassing 850M downloads in Q1 2026 (up 140% YoY) with IAP revenue reaching $750M. Growth is concentrated in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and India, where these apps outpace traditional OTT in user acquisition. Engagement is surging: daily time spent grew 85% to 25 minutes globally, nearing OTT levels in Southeast Asia. For ad ops, the shift toward ad monetization in addition to IAP opens new inventory opportunities. Key players like FreeReels, NetShort, and Melolo are scaling via localized content and paid acquisition, creating competitive ad markets.

Mobile wallets are evolving beyond payments into platforms for rewards, commerce, and financial services. The report highlights rising engagement through daily sessions, ecosystem integration as a competitive edge, and increased investment in digital advertising focusing on lifestyle and merchant partnerships. For ad ops, the key takeaway is the growing importance of cross-channel acquisition and localized creative strategies to capture high-frequency utility-driven users.

Ad monetization dominates mobile gaming downloads, with puzzle titles driving over half of ad revenue across major networks. Hybrid-casual has split into two models: ads-first and IAP-first, with IAP-driven titles significantly outperforming in total earnings. Success requires aligning game design, network choice, and regional strategy. The report emphasizes that ad strategy is now foundational, not secondary, for player acquisition and monetization.

The Indian home services app market is intensifying, with Pronto leading downloads (5M+ in H1 2026) via aggressive paid acquisition (28% from Paid Display, ad spend up 600x YoY). Urban Company maintains MAU leadership but faces local competition, especially in Delhi-NCR. Snabbit excels in engagement (14 monthly sessions per user). User overlap is high—27% of Urban Company users also use Pronto, indicating multi-platform consideration. For ad ops, this signals rising cost of paid acquisition and the need for cross-channel strategies as users comparison-shop across apps.

In Q1 2026, Kroger led grocery RMNs with 2.4B impressions, over 2.5x more than Albertsons. Meijer and Publix grew fastest, with Meijer up 7x since Jan 2024. Facebook dominated as the top channel. P&G's impressions surged 930% YoY to 212M, driven by a multi-brand strategy including Crest and Super Bowl campaigns.

Home and lifestyle retailers like Wayfair, Kohl's, and Macy's use different digital strategies. Wayfair leads in web traffic and app metrics, while Kohl's shows highest traffic growth. Despite similar app audience sizes, Macy's targets fashion-forward users, and Kohl's appeals to value-driven shoppers. Audience Insights reveal distinct personas, highlighting the need for tailored approaches across channels.

IPL 2026 drove significant cross-platform engagement for JioHotstar, with downloads up 25% PoP, DAU up 41%, and sessions up 60%. Tadka launch within app shows strategy to extend engagement beyond live sports. Instamart leveraged IPL with record ad impressions and 44% open rate. super.money downloads nearly doubled, with paid-channel installs rising to 25% and ad impressions surging 5.5x. Brands should invest in IPL-driven moments to capture high-intent, mobile-first audiences.

Ad monetization is a critical yet often overlooked revenue stream for mobile apps. Sensor Tower's new reports provide granular data on ad revenue, network performance, and ad formats. Key insights: 72% of top-grossing games use hybrid IAP+ad strategies, and ad revenue is growing across verticals like News, Ecommerce, and Entertainment. The reports enable benchmarking competitors' ad revenue, ARPMAU, and ads per minute, identifying effective networks, and evaluating acquisition targets using total revenue (IAP+ads). These insights help app developers optimize monetization strategies and maximize profits beyond in-app purchases.