Facebook Reports Sharp Ad Sales Growth
Facebook on Wednesday said that its mobile app and the push into video attracted new advertisers and encouraged existing ones to spend more. The social media company now has more than 1.7 billion monthly users, well ahead of any rivals.
Facebook is adapting better to the shift toward mobile and video than social media rival Twitter, which reported its slowest quarterly revenue growth in three years on Wednesday.
Mobile advertising revenue accounted for 84 percent of the company's total advertising revenue, compared with 76 percent a year earlier.
Total advertising revenue surged 63 percent to $6.24 billion.
The company also saw strong growth in monthly active users, now boasting 1.71 billion as of June 30, up from 1.49 billion a year earlier. Time spent on its suite of apps, including the main Facebook app, Instagram and Messenger, increased "double digit percentages," Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on a conference call with analysts.
David Wehner, Facebook's chief financial officer, pointed to Asia-Pacific, especially India, as one of the most promising areas for continued user growth.
Meanwhile, Facebook still has several untapped areas for revenue opportunities, including its WhatsApp and Messenger apps, both of which have more than 1 billion users. Facebook also owns picture-sharing app Instagram, which recently announced it has more than 500 million users.
Excluding items, Facebook earned 97 cents per share for the second quarter ended June 30. Net income attributable to Facebook's stockholders rose to $2.05 billion, or 71 cents per share, compared with $715 million, or 25 cents per share, a year earlier.
Total revenue rose 59.2 percent to $6.44 billion.