To successfully reach mobile game monetization KPIs in 2023, developers need to be strategic about their choice of game ad formats and ad networks across. To help you choose, we bring you rewarded video eCPMs for rewarded video ads, interstitial ads, and banner ads across all regions. This is essential information for increasing your mobile app ads revenue.
This article will help you learn:
- how much do video ads pay on apps
- what is good eCPM
- what are eCPM averages
- which countries have highest eCPM
- what is the best eCPM mobile ad network
- how to prioritize ad networks and formats to get the highest revenue
- how to plan a revenue forecast
Data source: Appodeal’s report that analyzed more than 100,000 apps, 70 demand sources, and more than 200 billion impressions.
The data covers:
- 12 months (H2 2021 to H1 2022)
- 5 regions (Eastern Europe, Western Europe, United States, Middle East, Asia, and Latin America)
- 3 ad formats (rewarded video ads eCPMs, interstitial ads eCPMs, and banner ads eCPMs)
- 2 platforms (eCPM Android and iOS)
This makes it the most recent and extensive data available.
But first, here’s what is eCPM for all beginners out there.
eCPM Meaning
eCPM stands for effective cost per mile and it refers to mobile app ads revenue. In other words, this metric tells you how much do video ads pay on apps and how much you can earn in mobile app ads revenue.
Top eCPM Countries by Ad Format
Let’s start with a global eCPMs overview that includes countries with the highest eCPM per ad type.
Rewarded Video Ads (Android & iOS)
It’s no surprise to see the United States as the country with the highest eCPMs for rewarded ads – ($12.91 on Android and $13.18 on iOS), as it was topping this chart in the previous time period as well (H2 2020 – H1 2021).
Interestingly, the country rankings for rewarded video ads are the same for both Android and iOS.
However, eCPMs were slightly higher for iOS than Android rewarded ads. For the top 20 countries, eCPMs on Android range from $3.31 to $12.91, while on iOS, they range from $4.73 to $13.81.
Interstitial Ads (Android & iOS)
Five countries with the highest eCPMs for interstitial ads on both Android and iOS were the United States ($11.06 Android, $9.58 iOS), Canada ($8.64 Android, $7.21 iOS), Australia ($6.65 Android, $6.88 iOS), Denmark ($6.34 Android, $5.76 iOS), and Switzerland ($6.27 Android, $5.73 iOS).
This data shows that Android interstitial ads had higher eCPMs in all countries than iOS interstitial ads.
Banner Ads (Android & iOS)
When compared to rewarded and interstitial ads, banner ads have historically had significantly lower eCPMs. That’s still true.
As you might expect, the United States is the country with the highest eCPMs on both Android ($0.60) and iOS ($0.27).
Across all countries, eCPMs for banner ads are higher on Android than on iOS. The same was true in the previous report, which covered data for H2 2020 to H1 2021.
eCPMs and ARPU on Android by Ad Format & Region
In this section, I’ll go through Android eCPM, ARPU, and fill rate evolution, for each ad format (rewarded video, interstitial, and banner) and key regions/markets (the US, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Latin America).
Rewarded Video Ads eCPMs
First up are eCPMs for rewarded video ads on Android.
United States of America
ECPMs for rewarded ads in the US went up 10%, compared to 2021, and reached an average of $12.91.
In H1 2022, the US suffered a drop in eCPMs, going down to $9.22 in June.
The average revenue per user ranged from $0.04 to $0.06, and as you might assume, it was higher than in any other region.
Western Europe
The average rewarded video eCPM in Western Europe in 2021-2022 was significantly lower than in the US – $3.62. That’s 2% more than in 2020-2021. We see a comparable downward trend in H1 2022 as in the US – eCPM values went down significantly.
Similarly, average revenue per user was stable in H2 2021 at around $0.017 but then decreased in 2022.
Eastern Europe
The average eCPM in Eastern Europe during 2021-2022 stood at $1.49, which is 9% more than the previous period (2020-2021). While there was a sharp decline in March 2022, the eCPMs in Eastern Europe recovered in May and June, which is a good sign.
ARPU and fill rates follow this trend.
Middle East
Interestingly, 2021-2022 rewarded video eCPMs in the Middle East had the same pattern as in 2020-2021 – they peaked in November, dropped to their lowest point in February, and then recovered in April through June.
The average was $1.19 – that’s 27% more than in 2020-2021.
ARPU also peaked in November, and then stabilized in February, staying at $0.002 until June.
Asia
Asia is the only region that saw a drop in rewarded video eCPMs on Android – $2 compared to $2.02 in 2020-2021. However, they were only 1% lower.
ARPU ranged from $0.005 to $0.007.
Latin America
Interestingly, Latin America had the same Android eCPMs for rewarded video as Asia – $2 in 2021-2022 and $2.02 in 2020-2021.
However, unlike in Asia, we see an upward trend for H1 2022 in Latin America.
Interstitial Ads eCPMs
Next up are eCPMs for interstitials, i.e., full-screen ads on Android.
United States of America
Android interstitial ads in the US peaked in December 2021 at $12.57. The average for 2021-2022 was $11.06, which is 10% higher than in 2020-2021.
If we compare that to Android rewarded videos in this region ($12.91), the average eCPM for interstitial ads is lower.
ARPU values have ranged from $0.137 to $0.194. This comes as no surprise, but the US had a significantly higher ARPU for interstitial ads on Android than any other region.
Western Europe
In Western Europe, eCPMs for Android full-screen ads were significantly lower than in the US. More specifically, they averaged $3.31 in 2021-2022, which is 4% higher compared to the previous period.
In H2 2021, ARPU was stable, ranging from $0.027 to $0.029. By June 2022, it dropped to $0.020.
Eastern Europe
Here’s an interesting thing about interstitial ad eCPMs in Eastern Europe – the average eCPM stayed exactly the same in 2021-2022 as it was in 2020-2021 – $1.77.
However, in 2020-2021, it had an upward trajectory, reaching its peak in June 2021, while in 2021-2022, it was the opposite – it followed a mostly downward trajectory, with some recovery in summer 2022.
ARPU for this period followed the eCPM trend, reaching the lowest point in March ($0.009).
Middle East
The average eCPM for Android interstitial ads in the Middle East was $1.04 – 25% higher than for the previous period, showing significant growth.
While ARPU was low all the way from July 2021 to February 2022, it shot up in March and reached its peak in April ($0.008). However, that’s still very low compared to markets further west.
Asia
In Asia, the average eCPM for Android interstitial ads was higher than in the Middle East but lower than in the US and Europe – $1.91. That’s 21% higher than in the previous year.
ARPU is fairly stable, but very low – ranging from $0.007 to $0.009, while fill rates were around 50% most months.
Latin America
Just like was the case with rewarded ads on Android, Latin America had the same eCPMs for full-screen ads as Asia both in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 – $1.50 and $1.91, with 21% growth.
ARPU ranged from $0.009 to $0.015.
Banner Ads eCPMs
Next up are eCPMs for banner ads on Android across all regions.
United States of America
Revenues for Android banner ads in the US are quite predictable. ECPMs tend to follow the same trajectory each year – they peak in December, drop down significantly, reach a low in January, and then stabilize somewhere during the summertime.
The average eCPM for 2021-2022 was $0.60, 12% higher than in 2020-2021. Overall, eCPMs for banner ads are always significantly lower than for interstitial or rewarded video ads across all markets.
Western Europe
As you might expect, eCPMs for banners in Western Europe were noticeably lower – averaging $0.22. That’s a 9% growth compared to 2020-2021.
Both ARPU and fill rates were fairly stable throughout 2021 and 2022 – ARPU ranged from $0.014 to $.0.020, while the fill rate was around 65%.
Eastern Europe
As we move further east, revenues for banner ads get even lower with eCPMs averaging $0.09 in Eastern Europe. That was also the average in 2020-2021, meaning there was zero growth.
Middle East
The Middle East is slightly above Eastern Europe, with an average eCPM of $0.10 – 20% more compared to the previous 12-month period.
The average revenue per user in the Middle East was almost non-existent – from $0.001 to $0.002.
Asia
The average eCPM for banner ads in Asia was $0.15 – 13% higher than in the previous year. ARPU was either $0.004 or $0.005 throughout this 12-month period.
Latin America
In Latin America, eCPMs were the same for banner ads as in Asia – $0.15.
eCPMs and ARPU on iOS by Ad Format & Region
This section is all about iOS eCPM, ARPU, and fill rate evolution, for each ad format (rewarded video, interstitial, and banner) across key regions/markets (the US, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Latin America).
Rewarded Video Ads eCPMs
Let’s start with rewarded videos on iOS.
United States of America
The US region is in the lead when it comes to eCPMs for rewarded videos on iOS. However, the average eCPM was 9% lower than in the previous 12-month period ($13.81 compared to $15.12).
Furthermore, rewarded video ads on iOS in the US had higher eCPMs on average than those on Android ($12.91).
The fill rate in the US was extremely high – around 96%. ARPU peaked in June 2022 – $0.030.
Western Europe
When it comes to iOS rewarded video eCPMs in western Europe, they peaked in December and averaged $6.51 for the whole 12-month period.
The average revenue per user was steady throughout this time period – between $0.010 and $0.013. Fill rate was around 93%, which is quite high.
Eastern Europe
Further east, eCPMs for this format were lower than in western regions – an average of $2.55. Furthermore, compared to 2020-2021, rewarded video eCPMs went down by 5%.
However, compared to rewarded videos on Android in this region ($1.49), the average eCPM was higher.
Middle East
Rewarded video eCPMs in the Middle East reached their highest value in April 2022 – $4.30, which is quite high for this region. Furthermore, they averaged $3.82, which is a 28% increase compared to the previous 12-month period. It’s also higher than average rewarded video eCPMs in Eastern Europe.
Fill rate was also high – more than 90% most months, while ARPU ranged from $0.006 to $0.010.
Asia
Revenues for rewarded videos in Asia were also quite high, $5.86, surpassing both the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Furthermore, eCPMs on iOS are much higher for rewarded videos than on Android ($2).
ARPU was also relatively high during this 12-month period – from $0.012 to $0.017.
Latin America
Out of all regions, Latin America had the lowest eCPMs for rewarded video ads in iOS. The average was $2.31, which was 4% less than in the previous year.
ARPU was also low but stable at $0.003 most months.
Interstitial Ads eCPMs
Next up is eCPM data for interstitial ads on iOS from H2 2021 to H1 2022.
United States of America
In terms of eCPMs, iOS full-screen ads in the US were not performing that well, averaging $9.58 – a 12% decrease compared to the previous year. Furthermore, that’s lower than full-screen ads on Android in this region, which were $11.06.
However, that’s still significantly higher than in all other regions.
The ARPU was around $0.06 during this time period with more than 80% fill rate.
Western Europe
ECPMs for interstitial ads in Western Europe saw a 13% increase in 2021-2022 ($3.68) compared to 2020-2021 ($3.22). That’s also higher compared to interstitial ads on Android during the same time period ($1.77).
While the ARPU was relatively stable, fill rate suddenly dropped in early 2022, going from around 80% to less than 40%.
Eastern Europe
The revenues from interstitial ads during 2021-2022 in Europe were 16% higher than in the previous 12-month period – $2.03 compared to $1.70.
ARPU was anywhere between $0.011 and $0.19 with around 60% fill rate most months.
Middle East
The Middle East experienced significant growth in terms of iOS interstitial ads revenue. More specifically, the average eCPM in 2020-2021 was $1.22. In 2021-2022, it grew 38% to $1.96. ECPM for this ad format on Android increased as well, amounting to just slightly below iOS – $1.91.
ARPU was the highest during summer 2022 – $0.012.
Asia
Interestingly, eCPMs for iOS interstitial ads were higher in Asia than in all other regions except the US and Latin America, which had the exact same average eCPM – $4.18. Furthermore, the revenue for this ad format was 23% higher than in the previous year in Asia.
Latin America
As I mentioned, Asia and Latin America had the same average revenues for full-screen ads – $4.18. ARPU in this region was between $0.007 and $0.009.
Banner Ads eCPMs
In this section, I go over eCPMs and ARPU for iOS banner ads in the US, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America.
United States of America
Overall, revenue for banners on iOS has dropped significantly across all regions. In the US, the average eCPM went from $0.48 in 2020-2021 to $0.27 in 2021-2022.
Western Europe
In Western Europe, eCPMs dropped by 47% to just $0.15. When it comes to ARPU, in 2022 it dropped to $0.005, along with the fill rate that was as low as 34%.
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe was the only region that saw no change in terms of banner ads revenues on iOS – eCPMs stayed at $0.15.
ARPU was all over the pace ranging from as low as $0.008 to $0.034.
Middle East
ECPMs for iOS banner ads in the Middle East dropped by 38%, averaging just $0.08. As you might expect, that resulted in ARPU being almost nonexistent – $0.002 for most months. However, ARPU somewhat recovered during the summer of 2022, reaching $0.007.
Asia
IOS banner ad revenue in Asia was more than 50% lower than the previous period – $0.11 compared to $0.17. ARPU was also low but stable at $0.005-$0.006.
Latin America
We see similar trends in Latin America – eCPMs were the same as in Asia – $0.11.
ECPMs Per App/Game Category Across Different Formats
In this section, you’ll find out which app categories had the highest revenue in the US across all formats and platforms. Let’s start with rewarded video ads on Android.
Rewarded Video Ads Android
Finance apps and adventure mobile games had the highest revenue from Android rewarded video ads – $51.63 and $46.10 respectively.
If we look at apps vs games, mobile games account for the majority of the revenue share – 91.40%.
Interstitial Ads Android
In the US, shopping, social, music, and communication apps all had eCPMs of more than $20.
In terms of interstitial ads revenue share, 83% of it goes to mobile games.
Banner Ads Android
Shopping and personalization apps had the highest banner ad eCPMs in the US – $1.18 and $1.40. Art & design, tools, and lifestyle apps are also high on this list.
Rewarded Video Ads iOS
Music apps have the highest eCPM for rewarded video ads by far – $38.92, followed by reference apps ($27.54), and photo/video apps ($20.81).
Interstitial Ads iOS
Business, lifestyle, and travel apps have the highest interstitial ad eCPMs – over $20. Here, the revenue share is more balanced – 43.30% for apps and 56.70% for games.
Banner Ads iOS
Finally, shopping ads saw the highest revenue from banner ads on iOS – $2.46, followed by design apps ($1.68), and business apps ($1.63).
Mobile Game Ad Monetization Glossary
If you’re new to mobile game monetization, take a look at this glossary with the most important terms you should learn.
Ad Mediation
Ad mediation allows app developers to handle numerous ad networks in one place. What’s great is that you can do it with a single SDK integration. Ad networks get access to your ad inventory through ad mediation platforms.
That makes multiple ad networks compete for ad slots which in turn maximizes your ad revenue. It also ensures you get the best possible ads for your app without compromising the user experience.
Another advantage of using ad mediation platforms is that you can automate the whole process, which saves you a lot of time.
Ad Network
An ad network connects publishers and advertisers. The advertisers are looking for ad slots in different apps, while app publishers want to monetize their apps by showing ads.
So an ad network is a middleman between demand sources (advertisers) and supply sources (publishers).
That way, publishers can easily work with multiple advertisers at once, instead of making deals with individual advertisers.
Ad Inventory
Ad inventory refers to the available amount of ad space a publisher has. That ad inventory is then sold to advertisers. Publishers can sell ad space directly to advertisers or they can use ad networks that work as an intermediary.
The term ad inventory is most often used when talking about digital and mobile ads, but it can be used for traditional media as well. If we’re talking about the digital world, a publisher would either be an app developer or a website owner.
Banner Ads
Banner ads are one of the oldest ad formats out there. However, they’re still popular in the mobile world.
They’re most commonly displayed on the top or bottom of the screen, in a way that doesn’t disrupt the user experience. Banner ads can be static or dynamic and usually stick to the screen throughout the user session.
DSP
DSP is a platform that allows advertisers to access publishers’ ad inventory as well as set up, manage, and optimize online ad campaigns.
It simplifies media buying and it’s completely automated. If the available inventory matches the criteria in the DSP, buyers will be entered for auction. The one with the highest bid price wins. All of it happens in milliseconds.
Along with SSPs, DSPs are essential for programmatic advertising.
eCPM
For many app developers, eCPM might sound complicated. However, it’s essential for all developers who want to monetize their apps. You need to know what it means and how to calculate it. So let’s explain it in simple terms.
eCPM is short for effective cost per mile, which refers to the amount of money a publisher earns per thousand impressions.
To calculate eCPM, you need to know much you earned from ads in total and how many impressions your app served. Then, you divide total earnings by the number of impressions and multiply by 1,000.
The number you get is your eCPM, and now you know how much your app earned per thousand impressions. If the eCPM is very high, that means the ads in your app are performing well. That, of course, brings you more revenue.
Interstitial Ads
Interstitial ads are full-screen ad formats that allow users to exit or skip the ad after a certain period. This ad format is very effective for mobile apps since interstitial ads are very dynamic and appealing.
Because interstitial ads get higher engagement, app developers get higher eCPMs for this ad format.
Rewarded Video
Rewarded video is another popular mobile ad format. Users who choose to watch the ad get free content in return. For example, in a mobile game app, the users might get coins or extra lives.
The reason why rewarded video works so well as an ad format is that everybody gets something out of it. The user gets free in-app content, the app publisher gets higher eCPMs, and the advertisers get higher CTRs.
Final Thoughts on eCPMs Data for 2023
Now we want to hear your thoughts.
What is your experience with eCPMs and ad networks? Do you have any questions about the eCPM data?
Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to get more insights into mobile app monetization!
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