By Cris Tolomia
Publication Date: 2026-04-13 13:27:00
Meta $META is expected to surpass Google $GOOGL as the world’s leading digital advertising business this year, according to Emarketer — the first time the social media company has held that position.
Emarketer’s projections put Meta‘s net ad revenue at $243.46 billion this year, compared with $239.54 billion for Google — a gap that reflects figures calculated after subtracting traffic costs and content acquisition fees, among them payments Google makes to publishers and other partners. According to Emarketer, the gap between the two companies has never been as small in the firm’s 14 years of tracking the digital ad market.
Meta‘s global ad revenue growth is projected to accelerate to 24.1% this year, up from 22.1% in 2025, while Google‘s growth rate is expected to hold flat at 11.9%, according to The Wall Street Journal. Meta has benefited from the expansion of its short-form video format Reels, which has drawn more advertisers, as well as AI tools that have improved ad targeting…
