Technology

Analysts trim Snapchat 2017 ad revenue forecast by $30m

Figures hit by higher-than-expected revenue-sharing with partners, eMarketer says

Following a surge in its stock price in its first two days of public trading, Snap’s stock price tumbled in the second week, and is now about $21 a share. Photograph: iStock

Tue Mar 14 2017 - 14:38

The 2017 advertising revenue forecast for Snap Inc's Snapchat has been trimmed by $30 million due to higher-than-expected revenue-sharing with its partners, digital marketing firm eMarketer said in its latest ad-spending forecast on Tuesday.

While that still represents growth of more than 157 per cent from last year, it is smaller than eMarketer’s prior forecast in September, which had predicted more than $800 million. Snap disclosed the revenue-sharing details in its US Securities and Exchange Commission filing ahead of this month’s initial public offering.

Snap depends on advertising dollars for the bulk of its overall revenue. The US digital advertising market is expected to reach $83 billion, an increase of nearly 16 per cent from last year.

Investor concerns

Following a surge in its stock price in its first two days of public trading, when it traded as high as $27 a share on the New York Stock Exchange, Snap's stock price tumbled in the second week, and is now about $21 a share, as investor concerns about slowing user growth and a lack of profit persist.

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Facebook's share of the US digital ad market is likely to increase to nearly 20 per cent this year and Alphabet's Google will still command nearly 41 per cent, eMarketer projected.

On the other end of the spectrum, eMarketer forecasts more trouble for Twitter, which has been grappling with stagnant user growth. Its US ad revenue will decline by 4.7 per cent to $1.3 billion, and Twitter’s market share of the US digital ad market is expected to drop to 1.6 per cent in 2017 from 1.9 per cent last year. – (Reuters)

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