Germany's Ad Blocking Rates Continue Steady Fall

New data reveals fourth consecutive quarter of declines

March 21, 2017 | Advertising & Marketing

The delivery of ads in Germany was blocked on 17.0% of desktop page impressions in Q4 2016, according to a March 2017 report from Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft (BVDW) and Online-Vermarkterkreis (OVK), continuing the trend of low ad blocking rates in the country.

While display ad blocking rates for desktop computers have consistently been low—anywhere from 21.5% to roughly 19% dating back to Q2 2015—the newest figures are lower than usual.

As eMarketer noted in November 2016, the decline of ad blocking in Germany is unusual in a world of ad avoidance.

A PageFair survey found slightly different results. In Q2 2016, 27% of internet users in Germany on the PageFair platform were desktop ad blocking users.

But according to an August 2016 survey of consumers in Germany ages 14 and older from Institut für Demoskopie Allensbach (IfD), 44.0% of respondents said they don’t plan to use ad blockers at all. The same report found that 15.0% of those polled currently use ad blockers, while 11.5% said they plan to use them.

—Ben Clague

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