Skip to main content

Screen Wars Thought Leader Interviews are also available on

SpotifyApple PodcastGoogle Podcast
State of the Screens

Facebook Hits 2.6 Billion Monthly Users in Q1, Cites ‘Significant’ Ad Sales Drop Because of Coronavirus Crisis

By May 7, 2020No Comments

Facebook advertising revenue (YoY growth):
1) 
2015-Q1 – $3.3B
2) 
2016-Q1 – $5.2B (↑ 57%)
3) 2017-Q1 – $7.9B (↑ 51%)
4) 2018-Q1 – $11.8B (↑ 50%)
5) 2019-Q1 – $14.9B (↑ 26%)
6) 2020-Q1 – $17.4B (↑ 17%)

Wow: In this environment, Facebook grew advertising revenue 17% YoY.  One area of concern was operating margin dropping from 42% (in Q4) to 33%.

Quote from Mark Zuckerberg – CEO @ Facebook:
“This economic pullback has certainly reinforced for me the importance of maintaining high margins.”

Facebook advertising revenue per user in the U.S. and Canada (YoY growth):
1) 
2015-Q1 – $9.98
2) 
2016-Q1 – $11.86 (↑ 20%)
3) 2017-Q1 – $16.56 (↑ 40%)
4) 2018-Q1 – $23.14 (↑ 40%)
5) 2019-Q1 – $29.69 (↑ 28%)
6) 2020-Q1 – $33.45 (↑ 13%)

Facebook daily active users in the U.S. & Canada (YoY growth):
1) 2015-Q1 – 161M
2) 
2016-Q1 – 173M (↑ 7%)
3) 2017-Q1 – 182M (↑ 5%)
4) 2018-Q1 – 185M (↑ 2%)
5) 2019-Q1 – 186M (↑ 1%)
6) 2020-Q1 – 195M (↑ 5%)

Quick math on Facebook advertising costs:
1) Ad revenue – ↑ 17%
2) Impressions – ↑ 39%
3) CPMs – ↓ 16%

Big question: In light of the drop in CPMs, should we launch a GoFundMe for Zuck?

Quick answer: No. CPMs on Facebook were up 90% last year!

More: This Is the Guy Who’s Taking Away the Likes

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.