Ad Block Software 'Costs Firms £14bn A Year'

Ad blocking software will cause businesses worldwide to lose an estimated £14.1bn in revenue during 2015, according to a new report.

 

 

Sophisticated tools which stop companies from selling their wares to internet users have exploded in popularity and ad block usage in the UK has increased by 82% in the past year, with 12 million Britons using the software regularly.

Websites in the gaming, social networking and education sectors are most likely to have their advertising disabled by visitors.

Ironically, Google's Chrome browser seems to be leading the charge in blocking ads, even though the tech giant's main source of income is from online advertising.

The global cost of ad blocking is also expected to nearly double in 2016, with the Adobe and PageFair report predicting that online firms will lose £26.7bn next year.

Ad blocking software for mobile devices is currently quite underdeveloped, but analysts believe the release of Apple's iOS 9 later this year could make it easier for smartphone users to download such apps.

Most consumers who install such tools are concerned that their personal information will be misused, while others are disgruntled at the sheer number of ads they encounter browsing the web.

Sean Blanchfield, the founder of "fair" ad blocking software, said: "It is tragic that ad block users are inadvertently inflicting multi-billion dollar losses on the very websites they most enjoy.

"With ad blocking going mobile, there's an eminent threat that the business model that has supported the open web for two decades is going to collapse."

Adobe's Campbell Foster believes there are no obvious solutions or easy answers.

"Consumers, for the most part, accept the trade-off that comes with 'free' - I'll give you information about me in exchange for your TV show, film, news article or service - but draw the line at advertising that's intrusive, annoying, irrelevant or downright creepy.

"No matter your views on whose rights trump whose, the economic impact of ad blocking is real and measurable."