First, a disclaimer: I'm no expert, and I only know what is on these documents I linked. I haven't read in-depth reporting by real investigative journalists, nor any reporting sourced or quoted from YT insiders (When I see articles about the ad-blocking, I knock wood that SmartTube is still working and keep scrolling, keen to avoid getting angry at another trillion-dollar company).
I've been doing some light research into Alphabet's YT ad revenue numbers today on my lunch hour. Here is where you find that info.
My curiousity was piqued by a few posts here and elsewhere regarding YouTube's new push to eliminate ad-blockers that indicate the push is because they've been losing money. Per my plebian understanding of these documents: Rather than a substantial decrease, YT had finally seen a 'leveling off' of ad revenue that had previously been enjoying explosive growth for the available history I can view. The historical (according to the data I have available to me) 32-43% increase in revenue leveling in 2022 to almost -2% is likely responsible for this push to more vigorously monetize users.
It's not easy to relate to earnings when they have to be counted in "thousands of millions" of dollars, but if we reduce it all to simple percentages, I suppose we can agree at least that the data they are working from does show a drop in revenue. I suspect (as many do) that the loss in revenue growth in Q3 2022 could at least motivate them to look for ways to make more growth. Where we may find debate is on the concept that growth must continue into infinity.
#Notes
The links below are for Q3, so we're comparing apples>apples.
Earnings are provided in millions ($1,000 = $1B)
My percentages after the link include ONLY YouTube Ad revenues, not the rest of YT revenues, which are liumped into "Google Other."
Revenue!=Profit, and YT expenses are hard (read:impossible) to discern from this simplified report.
Q3 2020, YT ad revenue up 32.42% from same period in 2019 ($3.80B to $5.03B).
Q3 2021, YT ad revenue up 43.04% from same period in 2020 ($5.03B to $7.20B).
Q3 2022, YT ad revenue down 1.86% from same period in 2021 ($7.20B to $7.07B).
Q3 2023, YT ad revenue up 12.45% from same period in 2022 ($7.07B to $7.95B).
I've enjoyed the discussion on this topic, with good points being made all over, like how we can't lose sight of the value a non-ad-viewing user brings to YT simply by watching and increasing viewer counts, subscribing, donating super chat or otherwise, and linking/sharing videos elsewhere.
Lastly: My lunch break is over; I can't respond to any comments for a while, so this is a post-and-run.
#YouTube #Google #EarningsReport #AdBlocker
EDIT: @db0@lemmy.dbzer0.com if this doesn't fit the sub please let me know or remove.
I used to participate in (what was then) the largest and most active automotive enthusiast forum for a specific brand. They had forums for each major model run, and classifieds, etc. I'd go there for how-to's, detailed info, reviews, tips and tricks, and of course, to tall with like-minded people. Meet ups even spawned from these groups, and friendships were forged.
As it really picked up steam, though, the forum creators decided to monetize, as every large website grapples with how to sustain their growth. Unfortunately, they decided to implement ads, subscription/pay wall, and within a month, there were five competing websites. The majority of us left in the first two weeks.
Now that forum still exists, but the content is gone, deleted by users who didn't appreciate their content being monetized (sound familiar, June 2023?). The replacements? Some struggle on, and one or two are vibrant, but mostly, it imploded. There was one glorious pair of years though, when I (and thousands of others) spent hours every day on the forum, and every topic was covered.
In hindsight, the downfall was more than just the advertisements and pay walling. It was a few non-admins that were treated as defacto mods, and they had bad attitudes. Flaming anyone who asked questions that were asked before (this was before Google made searching easier), and also holding their own practices as the only way to maintain their cars.
The reddit versions of the forums were not remotely the same, with people coming and going and not really sticking around. The best place for the info is still forums, though I think they struggle with server upkeep and costs. It's sad to me, but all things change. I'm glad for archive.org.