SensorTowerGlobal App Revenue Reached $39 Billion in the First Half of 2019, Up 15% Year-Over-Year
During the first half of 2019, global consumers spent $39.7 billion on mobile apps and games, a 15.4% increase from $34.4 billion in H1 2018. Apple's App Store accounted for $25.5 billion (up 13.2%), while Google Play generated $14.2 billion (up 19.6%). Non-game app spending was led by Tinder ($497 million), Netflix ($399 million), and Tencent Video ($278 million).
First-time installs totaled 56.7 billion, with iOS downloads declining 1.4% to 14.8 billion and Google Play growing 16.4% to 41.9 billion. Game spending reached $29.6 billion (up 11.3%), with Honor of Kings as the top grossing title. Q2 2019 saw nearly $20 billion in spending, 17.2% growth YoY.
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AdjustFIFA World Cup 2026 mobile app trends for marketers | Adjust
Analysis of 2022 World Cup mobile data reveals that the tournament's largest engagement window occurs early, with sports entertainment installs spiking 189% and sports news 204% on November 22. Engagement revolves around national team matches, with significant spikes from non-participating markets like China (+1,294% sports entertainment installs). For 2026, brands must adapt in real-time to shifting attention across matches and regions. Adjust's AI-powered attribution and analytics provide the visibility needed to capitalize on these global events.
SensorTowerMario Kart Tour Speeds to 90 Million Downloads in First Week to Become Nintendo's Fastest-Ever Mobile Game Launch
Mario Kart Tour achieved 90 million downloads in its first week, six times more than Nintendo's second-best launch. It ranks third in player spending with $12.7 million. Android led downloads (59.5%), while iOS dominated revenue (75.5%).
AppsFlyerStrong open rates, weak app revenue: your email campaign isn’t broken. Your links are.
Email, SMS, and push are high-intent channels, but a structural gap between click and in-app action causes massive drop-off. CTRs of 30-40% often yield only 1-3% in-app conversion. The root cause is ESP link wrapping, which breaks deep link context and attribution. Fixing the handoff through proper deep linking can double purchase rates and unlock channel performance. Brands must treat the link as a continuation layer, not a redirect, and ensure context survives the transition.
SensorTowerHong Kong Unrest Drives 4x Surge in Telegram Downloads, Boosts Other Apps Used by Protesters
Hong Kong protests boosted Telegram installs by 323% YoY in July, adding 110,000 users. LIHKG saw 900% growth. News app downloads rose 197%.
MolocoIs your channel mix resilient in an AI-disrupted world?
AI is reshaping consumer behavior, with 80% of Google searches ending without a click and half of consumers using AI for product research. This disrupts traditional channels like search (CPC up 10-25%) and affiliate marketing (revenues down 7%). Meanwhile, mobile apps and CTV offer stable, high-engagement alternatives. Advertisers should diversify away from disrupted channels, targeting the independent app ecosystem where Day 30 ROAS can be 116% higher. Key metrics: organic direct traffic share (target >51%) and disrupted channel spend share (target <34%).
SensorTowerAd Monetization 101: App Analysis & Top Ad Publishers
Ad monetization is a critical yet often overlooked revenue stream for mobile apps. Sensor Tower's new reports provide granular data on ad revenue, network performance, and ad formats. Key insights: 72% of top-grossing games use hybrid IAP+ad strategies, and ad revenue is growing across verticals like News, Ecommerce, and Entertainment. The reports enable benchmarking competitors' ad revenue, ARPMAU, and ads per minute, identifying effective networks, and evaluating acquisition targets using total revenue (IAP+ads). These insights help app developers optimize monetization strategies and maximize profits beyond in-app purchases.
SensorTowerIPL Is Fueling India’s Mobile App Market: JioHotstar Dominates Entertainment While super.money Downloads Nearly Double
IPL 2026 drove significant cross-platform engagement for JioHotstar, with downloads up 25% PoP, DAU up 41%, and sessions up 60%. Tadka launch within app shows strategy to extend engagement beyond live sports. Instamart leveraged IPL with record ad impressions and 44% open rate. super.money downloads nearly doubled, with paid-channel installs rising to 25% and ad impressions surging 5.5x. Brands should invest in IPL-driven moments to capture high-intent, mobile-first audiences.
SensorTowerTop Social Media Apps Worldwide for September 2019 by Downloads
TikTok led social media downloads in Sep 2019 with 60M installs. India contributed 44% of TikTok's downloads, US 8%. Facebook was second with 50.5M installs, led by India (23%) and Indonesia (11%).
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