Meta edges past Google ad revenue
- Meta Platforms is now forecast to overtake Alphabet’s Google in 2026 digital ad revenue, according to Emarketer, which says the Facebook and Instagram owner will finish the year ahead worldwide and in the U.S. - Emarketer projects Meta will book $243.46 billion in net worldwide ad revenue in 2026, versus Google at $239.54 billion, a gap of about $3.9 billion after years of Google dominance. - The shift follows Meta’s faster ad growth in 2025 and 2026 forecasts, even as Alphabet said Google Search usage kept expanding with artificial intelligence features. (emarketer.com)
Meta is on track to pass Google in digital ad revenue for the first time by the end of 2026, according to a new Emarketer forecast. (emarketer.com) (reuters.com) Emarketer said on April 13 that Meta will generate $243.46 billion in net worldwide ad revenue in 2026, while Google will reach $239.54 billion. The same forecast says Meta will also move ahead of Google in the U.S. market this year. (emarketer.com) (reuters.com) The gap is small, about $3.92 billion, but it would end Google’s long run as the top digital ad seller. Emarketer said Meta’s worldwide share will reach 26.8% in 2026, just above Google’s 26.4%. (emarketer.com) (marketingdive.com) Meta enters that race with momentum from 2025. The company reported $200.97 billion in full-year 2025 revenue, with ad impressions up 12% and average price per ad up 9%. (investor.atmeta.com) Alphabet’s latest results still showed a bigger overall business. On February 4, Alphabet said 2025 revenue rose 15% to $402.84 billion, and Google Search & other revenue grew 17% in the fourth quarter to $54.03 billion. (abc.xyz) The split reflects how the two companies sell ads. Meta makes most of its money by targeting users inside Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, while Google depends on search, YouTube and its wider ad network. (sec.gov) (abc.xyz) Meta has been pushing artificial-intelligence tools that automate ad creation and targeting, including its Advantage+ products. Emarketer said that faster growth is helping Meta gain both revenue dollars and market share in 2026. (emarketer.com) (marketingdive.com) Google has argued that artificial intelligence is expanding, not shrinking, its search business. In its February earnings release, Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said Search saw “more usage than ever before,” with AI driving an “expansionary moment.” (abc.xyz) That leaves 2026 as a test of whether social feeds or search pages become the bigger ad machine. For now, the forecast says Meta is set to finish the year in front, even if only by a few billion dollars. (emarketer.com) (reuters.com)
