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State of the Screens

Facebook At 20: From a Dorm Room to a $130B Ad Juggernaut 

By February 8, 2024February 9th, 2024No Comments

2024-02-07_14-59-14

Four big questions re: Meta:
1) How much advertising revenue is Meta generating?
2) How much profit is Meta generating?
3) How many people use Facebook every day?
4) What is going on with ad prices?

Big question #1: How much advertising revenue is Meta generating?

Meta advertising revenue (YoY growth):
1) 2015 – $17.1B
2) 2016 – $26.9B (↑ 57%)
3) 2017 – $39.9B (↑ 49%)
4) 2018 – $55.0B (↑ 38%)
5) 2019 – $69.7B (↑ 27%)
6) 2020 – $84.2B (↑ 21%)
7) 2021 – $114.9B (↑ 37%)
8) 2022 – $113.6B (↓ 1%)
9) 2023 – $131.9B (↑ 16%)

8A4F.1-2023Q4A

Meta advertising revenue per user in the U.S. and Canada (YoY growth):
1) 2015-Q4 – $13.06
2) 2016-Q4 – $19.28 (↑ 48%)
3) 2017-Q4 – $26.26 (↑ 36%)
4) 2018-Q4 – $34.09 (↑ 30%)
5) 2019-Q4 – $40.50 (↑ 19%)
6) 2020-Q4 – $51.28 (↑ 27%)
7) 2021-Q4 – $60.57 (↑ 18%)
8) 2022-Q4 – $58.77 (↓ 3%)
9) 2023-Q4 – $68.44 (↑ 16%)

8A4F.1-2023Q4C

Big question #2: How much profit is Meta generating?

Meta profit (YoY growth):
1) 2015 – $3.7B
2) 2016 – $10.2B (↑ 178%)
3) 2017 – $15.9B (↑ 56%)
4) 2018 – $22.1B (↑ 39%)
5) 2019 – $18.5B (↓ 16%)
6) 2020 – $29.1B (↑ 58%)
7) 2021 – $39.4B (↑ 35%)
8) 2022 – $23.2B (↓ 41%)
9) 2023 – $39.1B (↑ 69%)

8A4F.1-2023Q4D

Big question #3: How many people use Facebook every day?

Meta daily active users in the U.S. & Canada (YoY growth):
1) 2015-Q4 – 169M
2) 2016-Q4 – 180M (↑ 7%)
3) 2017-Q4 – 184M (↑ 2%)
4) 2018-Q4 – 186M (↑ 1%)
5) 2019-Q4 – 190M (↑ 2%)
6) 2020-Q4 – 195M (↑ 3%)
7) 2021-Q4 – 195M (↑ 0%)
8) 2022-Q4 – 199M (↑ 2%)
9) 2023-Q4 – 205M (↑ 3%)

8A4F.1-2023Q4B-1

Interesting #1: Pew Research breaks down Facebook’s user base demographics.

Interesting #2: Key moments in Facebook’s growth to 3B users and $130B in ad revenue.

2024-02-07_15-01-36

More: Facebook Turns 20: From Mark Zuckerberg’s Harvard Dorm Room to the Metaverse

Big question #4: What is going on with ad prices?

Meta ad trends (YoY change) according to Needham & Company:
1) CPM – ↑ 2%
2) Total impressions – ↑ 21%

Wow: Meta’s TikTok competitor (Reels) grew its annual revenue run-rate from $3B to $10B in less than a year!  Reels (most likely) made up a large share of the growth in impressions.

Michael Beach

Michael Beach is the Chief Executive Officer of Cross Screen Media, a media analytics and software company that enables marketers to plan, activate, and measure CTV and linear TV at the local level. Michael is also the founder and editor of State of the Screens, a weekly newsletter focused on video advertising that is a must-read for thought leaders in the advertising industry. He has appeared in such publications as PBS Frontline, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Axios, CNBC and Bloomberg, and on NPR’s Planet Money podcast.