COLOGNE, Germany – The number of people with adblock software installed has increased 69% in the past 12 months to approximately 144 million active adblock users (4.9% of all internet users), reveals a new report published by PageFair, with the cooperation of Adobe. 27.6% of internet users polled in the US claim that they employ adblock software when browsing.
“This report provides key insights into current user attitudes toward internet advertising, and will help inform the industry’s response balance consumer expectations with the business imperatives of advertisers, programmers and pay-TV providers”
The joint report, “Adblocking Goes Mainstream,” examines the global state of adblocking and its implications for the future of the internet advertising industry. Adblocking is performed by installing a browser plugin that automatically prevents ads from loading on websites. Websites that suffer from high adblocking are losing vital revenue, and many face closure.
The report finds that peak adblock usage in the US is with 18-29 year olds, 41% of whom claim to use adblock software. According to the report, “Adblocking has now crossed the chasm from early adopters and tech enthusiasts and into the mainstream audience.”
The study also concludes that ad format matters. Adblock users particularly dislike ads that intrude on their ability to consume intended content, but they find some ads to be more acceptable: over 60% of adblockers polled expressed some receptiveness to viewing text, still-image, and skippable pre-roll ads.
PageFair, the leading provider of adblock solutions to web publishers, provides a free service that helps over 1,000 websites measure and recover adblocked revenue. On this report’s findings, PageFair CEO Sean Blanchfield commented that, “The numbers clearly show that digital natives are rejecting aggressive advertising by installing adblock software in record numbers. The only sustainable response is to listen to these users and offer a cleaner advertising experience.” According to PageFair, less that than 1% of adblockers choose to opt-out of its acceptable ads.
“This report provides key insights into current user attitudes toward internet advertising, and will help inform the industry’s response balance consumer expectations with the business imperatives of advertisers, programmers and pay-TV providers,” said Jeremy Helfand, vice president, Video Solutions at Adobe.
About PageFair:
PageFair is the leading provider of adblock solutions to publishers, and is used on over 1,000 websites. Its free services enable publishers to both measure and recover adblocked revenue, while carefully respecting the end-user experience. For more information, please visit www.pagefair.com.
