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Zooming out: Overall, in-app spending grew 13% YoY to $150 billion globally, with non-gaming apps outpacing gaming apps—25% versus 4%, respectively. Social media ($11.7 billion) and streaming ($11.9 billion) led all mobile app revenues. Each category was driven by contrasting profit models—creator tipping and commissions for social media, and subscriptions for streaming.

The news: Four top names in tech, gaming, and messaging joined forces to launch Robust Open Online Safety Tools (ROOST), a nonprofit focused on building free, open-source tools to combat online child exploitation. Google, OpenAI, Roblox, and Discord will fund and develop tools to help organizations implement safety measures so they won’t need to start from scratch, per Engadget.

Although the device runs on Android 14 and allows full access to the Play Store, its full-sized keyboard and slow refresh rate will limit video viewing and gaming. The Blackberry-esque device’s minimalist approach could attract consumers who want to simplify their tech use, while also serving as an upgraded alternative to a flip phone.

Flashy new features meet AAA games, yet battery life shrinks and OLED gets ditched. Is this really a next-gen move?

Car manufacturers are integrating gaming platforms, streaming services, and interactive displays for entertainment experiences. This transformation is opening new opportunities for content providers and advertisers to reach audiences during travel. Why it matters. The shift toward autonomous vehicles is creating new avenues for entertainment and commerce.

Outside search, new opportunities for awareness will arise with more personalized, full-funnel ad products in CTV, social, gaming, and premium publishers. The spread of voice and visual search may also open up new forms of discovery spurred by the physical environment, including in stores. The shrinking of the consideration phase of the journey will continue.

It also includes amusement and recreation, box office, film, music, OTT video platforms, sporting events and ticketing, and video games (excluding video game hardware). Retail includes mail orders/catalogs, restaurants/fast food, drugstores, retail stores, cosmetics stores, and merchants of apparel, home furnishings/textiles, toys, pet food/supplies, appliances, jewelry, and general merchandise.

How time spent with media, device ownership, and media adoption stack up in East Asia and Oceania.

How time spent with media, device ownership, and media adoption stacks up in South and Southeast Asia.

Gaming (Xbox content & services): Up 2%, a slower growth area, though positive due to Game Pass. AI impact: CEO Satya Nadella highlighted Microsoft’s AI business hitting a $13 billion annual run rate, up 175% year-over-year. Why it matters: AI growth continues, but cost concerns and competition are mounting. DeepSeek’s AI breakthrough challenges the industry’s spending model.

Gaming-adjacent media are also seeing ad revenues grow. Gaming also has derivative media, such as gaming videos and esports, that are significant advertising channels in their own right. GVC is a multibillion-dollar ad business. These videos are hosted on platforms such as Twitch and YouTube. We expect GVC ad revenues to grow by 9.0% YoY in 2024.

Gaming. Mobile gaming introduced AR to a vast audience. Games like Pokémon Go, which uses AR to overlay virtual features on the real-world gaming environment, showcase the technology's potential for engaging, interactive experiences. Launched in 2016, the game has been downloaded over 1 billion times and has generated more than $6 billion in revenues. Social media.

In addition to linear TV and video streaming services, podcasts, video games, out-of-home (OOH), and retail media networks (RMNs) all sell inventory upfront now. Upfront buying still offers advantages.