Facebook earns $709m showing ads to ad-block users
Despite attempts to circumvent Facebook's advertising technology by the leading ad-blocking providers, the social media giant was able to generate $709m in revenue in Q2 2017 by presenting ads to ad-block users on desktop platforms. Facebook continues to see significant revenue from desktop users, despite the vast majority of its base having switched to mobile. Johnny Ryan at ad-block analysts PageFair argues that the experience shows that other sites can follow suit and "convert the ad-block audience from a revenue threat to a revenue generator”.
Facebook is said to have generated $709m of its advertising revenue from showing ads to adblock users on desktop, after implementing tamper-proof technology last year.

The $709m figure relates to Facebook’s ad revenue in Q2 2017, and not the company’s just-released, impressive Q3 figures. Either way, according to PageFair – despite many attempts to hack Facebook’s advertising technology from the likes of Adblock Plus creator Eyeo – Facebook has managed to secure almost three quarters of a billion dollars from serving ads to people that are using adblockers.

The substantial amount generated from serving ads to adblock users is entirely from desktop, despite the large majority of Facebook’s revenue shifting from desktop to mobile. I.e. mobile ad revenue represented around 88 per cent of Facebook’s more than $10bn revenue in Q3 2017.

“All websites can emulate this strategy. Facebook shows that websites can convert the adblock audience from a revenue threat to a revenue generator,” said Johnny Ryan, head of ecosystem at PageFair.

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