The pandemic has caused reduced advertiser spending overall, leading to lower growth of in-app ad spending despite significantly higher numbers of ad placements. While in-app purchases (IAPs) never stopped growing amid the pandemic, publisher revenues have recently been shifting from in-app advertising to purchases.

The coronavirus pandemic and changes set to be implemented in the forthcoming iOS 14 are the latest shocks to an evolving app economy. This report will look at how these changes have altered developer monetization strategies and advertiser options.

Gaming publishers have pursued aggressive monetization through engagement driven ad-units, keeping players in the game and driving strong performance for advertisers. As a result, engaging units such as rewarded video and playables have become essential to both the in-game player experience and monetization.