GOOGLE : AD REVENUES DIP

WASHINGTON : Amid Triopoly - Google is expected to see its first decline in US ad revenues this year as the coronavirus pandemic hits travel advertising, a market tracker said Monday.

New research by eMarketer indicates Google will still be loading digital advertising but with a smaller share as the market evolves into a ''tripoly'' with Facebook and Amazon.

Google's net US digital ad revenues will drop 5.3% to $39.58 billion to bring its market share down to 29.4%, according to eMarketer forecast, which was sharply revised due to the pandemic.

Google's decline is ''primarily because of a sharp pullback in travel advertiser spending, which in the past has been heavily concentrated on Google's search as products,'' said eMarketer analyst Nicole Perrin.

''Travel has been the hardest-industry during the pandemic, with the most extreme spending declines of any industry. [AFP]