Meta set to top Google

Meta is on track to pass Google in global digital advertising revenue in 2026, according to a new forecast from Emarketer. (emarketer.com) Emarketer said on April 13 that Meta will generate $243.46 billion in net worldwide ad revenue this year, compared with $239.54 billion for Google. Reuters reported the forecast the same day. (emarketer.com) (reuters.com) The forecast uses net ad revenue, which counts what each company keeps after payouts such as traffic acquisition costs and content fees. That matters more for Google, which shares revenue with publishers, browser partners, and other distributors. (reuters.com) (finance.yahoo.com) Emarketer also said Meta is set to move ahead of Google in the United States in 2026, not just worldwide. The firm said Meta will lead in both dollars and market share by year end. (emarketer.com) The shift follows a year in which Meta’s core ad machine kept accelerating across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Meta reported $200.97 billion in 2025 revenue, up 22% from 2024, with ad impressions up 12% and average price per ad up 9%. (meta.com) Meta’s filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission said it generates “substantially all” of its revenue from advertising sold across its Family of Apps segment. That leaves Meta more concentrated on ads than Alphabet, which also gets material revenue from cloud computing, subscriptions, devices, and other businesses. (sec.gov) (abc.xyz) Google is still enormous in advertising. Alphabet’s 2025 annual report said Google Services makes money from ads shown on Search, YouTube, and its network of partner sites and apps, while the company also highlighted YouTube revenue above $60 billion across ads and subscriptions in 2025. (sec.gov) (abc.xyz) Emarketer said Google, Meta, and Amazon together will account for 62.3% of global digital ad spending in 2026. Meta’s rise does not break that concentration; it changes which company sits at the top of it. (reuters.com) The forecast is still a forecast, not reported 2026 revenue. But if it holds, the company that built its business on social feeds will end the year ahead of the company that built its business on search. (emarketer.com)