Meta’s ad revenue up 12% in Q2, exceeding expectations

Meta’s ad revenue increased by 12% in the second quarter of 2023 compared to the year-earlier period, surpassing expectations.

Advertising revenue for Q2 2023 was $31.5 billion compared to $28.2 billion in the same period in 2022. This success helped drive total Meta revenue to grow 11% year-on-year from $28.8 billion in Q2 2022 to $32 billion in Q2 2023.

Daily active users. Meta’s Q2 2023 performance also showed impressive growth in user engagement.

• Facebook’s daily active user count increased by 5% to reach 2.06 billion.
• The number of monthly active users was 3.03 billion, up 3% year-on-year.
• The “family of apps” category, which includes Instagram and WhatsApp, saw a 7% year-over-year rise in daily active users, totalling 3.07 billion.
• The number of monthly active users in this category also increased by 6% to 3.88 billion.

“Year of efficiency”. Meta’s strong performance comes after Zuckerberg implemented a string of cost-cutting measures across the business, including laying off more than 21,000 staff members. He also cut spending in some divisions and restructured the hierarchy of the company.

Why we care. This is the first time that Meta has achieved double-digit growth since the fourth quarter of 2021, with much of its strong performance driven by growth in ad revenue. This sends a clear message that digital advertising is bouncing back after it took a setback due to the economic downturn. Now, forecasters are predicting increased ad spend for later on in the year, which will create more opportunities for marketers.

Earnings report. You can review Meta’s full report here.