Business

Google’s App Quietly Becoming Huge Growth Engine

Published

8 years ago

February 16, 2018

Google makes ads show up in more smartphone apps than any other technology company and that is the core of a resurgent business for parent Alphabet Inc.
Google’s ad network unit has posted three straight quarters of year-over-year double-digit sales increases.
The business is nearing 20 billion dollars in annual revenue, making it as important to Google’s top-line as its hardware, cloud computing and app store groups combined.
For years, the star of the network was Google’s AdSense, which delivers ads to websites in exchange for a cut of ad revenue.
But as consumers migrate from desktop computing to mobile, momentum has shifted to AdMob, Google’s mass-market tool for third-party apps, and DoubleClick for Publishers, its higher-end mobile software.
Google has lured app developers from competitors by lowering commissions and simplifying software and it is increasingly satisfying advertisers with hot new formats such as video.
Advertisers are taking notice. Alex Hewson, managing partner at M&C Saatchi Mobile, said the London-based ad buying agency has used AdMob for years, but only recently has it become the “top supplier.”
“They have engaged big developers and done that well,” he said, noting that it has come at a cost. Google is growing by giving app and website creators a bigger chunk of ad sales.
In last year’s final quarter, Google’s portion fell by 33 million dollars compared to the year-earlier period even though overall network revenue rose 559 million dollars .
The company is feeling the heat. Alphabet shares dipped five per cent after missing profit estimates this month.
“They are chasing top-line growth and beating the competition by losing margins,” said Brian Wieser, a senior analyst with Pivotal Research, a New York City firm that provides stock guidance.
Google gives developers about 70 cents of every one dollar it collects from ad buyers compared to 50 cents to 60 cents at some competitors.
The high payouts, coupled with Google’s entrenched relationship with millions of advertisers, has turned Google into the main revenue source for many apps.
Purchases of in-app ads nearly tripled last year compared to 2016 on Google’s DoubleClick Bid Manager, used by advertisers with the biggest budgets.
Over 1.1 million Android-apps include Google’s ad software, double from a year ago, making it by far the fastest-growing and most widely used ad-service, according to research firm MightySignal.
Google’s iPhone market share is only slightly behind.
The biggest choice for many app creators is between Google’s AdMob and DoubleClick. It is not clear which is growing faster because Google does not provide that data.
AdMob, which was designed specifically for mobile, tends to attract ads promoting apps and smartphone services. Google bought AdMob for $750 million in 2010, beating a bid from Apple Inc.
Google needed technology fresher than AdSense to deliver in-app ads, according to Sissie Hsiao, who leads the company’s apps business.
Chinese app maker, Cheetah Mobile Inc, turned to AdMob last year, shifting focus from Facebook Inc’s Audience Network.
Google paid better and offered more ads, said Vincent Jiang, chief financial officer for Cheetah, which has 589 million monthly users for its games and a popular memory-clearing app known as Clean Master.
Google’s DoubleClick ad tool, meanwhile, requires customization to maximize revenue. Companies with many websites and apps use it to integrate ads that they sell on their terms.

Business

Boat Mishap Kills Pastor, Wife And Church Members In Brass Water

Published

3 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

A boat accident in Bayelsa state has killed a serving Pastor, Wife and other church members along Brass waterways

The sad incident happened at Odioama in Brass local government area of Bayelsa State when the Pastor, wife and members of his church were in a programme.

?Tide confirmed that the lifeless body of the Pastor’s wife has been found and deposited in a mortuary while the remains of her husband ,the Pastor is yet to be recovered

as search party are still ongoing.

Although the real cause of the boat Mishap is not yet known as at the time of this report, our Correspondent gathered that the identities of the Pastor, wife and church members were not disclosed to the public.

The mishap, Tide gathered occurred on Friday morning when the church members were on a boat transit

The Bayelsa State government and the state police command are yet to issue official statement’s on the sad accident

By: CHINEDU WOSU

Business

Rivers Workers Seek Scrapping Of Contributory Pension Scheme

Published

3 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Council of Nigeria Civil Service Union has called on the State Government to urgently scrap the contributory pension scheme, describing it as unfavourable to long-serving civil servants in the state.

Chairman of the union, Chukwuka Osuma, said this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, recently.

Osuma said the current pension structure has continued to worsen post-retirement hardship for workers.

He noted that the contributory pension scheme had failed to provide adequate retirement security for workers who had spent many years in service, especially those approaching retirement age.

According to him, civil servants who had served for more than 20 years were among the worst affected under the scheme, insisting that many retirees could no longer cope with prevailing economic realities.

He also informed that the Union has made moves to showcase their concerns, pleading with Governor Siminalayi Fubara to abolish the pension policy and introduce a more favourable arrangement for affected workers.

“The union was not opposed to pension reforms, the contributory scheme should only apply to newly employed workers or those with fewer years in service”, he said.

Osuma explained that workers who had already spent decades in the civil service ought to remain under a more secure pension structure capable of guaranteeing stability after retirement.

The labour leader further noted that inflation and the rising cost of living had continued to erode the value of retirement savings, thereby increasing the suffering of pensioners across the country.

He also appealed to the state government to consider extending the years of service in the civil service from 35 to 40 years and the retirement age from 60 to 65 years.

Osuma argued that such adjustment had become necessary in view of present-day economic realities and changing conditions in the workplace.

The unionist also reviewed that similar policies had already been adopted in some sectors and jurisdictions, expressing optimism that the State could also implement the reforms for the benefit of workers.

He however, commended Governor Fubara for approving an N85,000 minimum wage for workers in the state, noting that the amount was above the national benchmark of N70,000.

Osuma also acknowledged the government’s efforts in the area of workers’ promotions and bonuses, but insisted that pension reforms and extension of years of service remained critical to the long-term welfare and stability of civil servants in Rivers State.

By: King Onunwor

Business

FG Begins South-West Tour To Promote New Cooperative Bank

Published

1 week ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government has launched the South-West zonal engagement and ministerial advocacy tour on the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria share capital mobilisation, sensitisation and cooperative sector digitalisation.

Reports say the initiative was launched through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

According to reports, the advocacy tour, organised by the ministry’s Federal Department of Cooperatives, began on Monday in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Abdullahi described the exercise as a strategic effort to reposition the cooperative sector as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity.

“Today represents a defining moment in our collective determination to reposition the cooperative sector as a major driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity,” he said.

The minister noted the modern cooperative movement in Nigeria originated in the South-West following the 1934 Strickland Report, which led to the enactment of the Cooperative Societies Ordinance of 1935.

According to him, the decision to commence the sensitisation and share capital mobilisation tour in the region is symbolic, as it marks a return to the roots of cooperative development in the country.

Abdullahi said the advocacy tour was a direct outcome of resolutions reached at the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs held in Abuja in March 2026.

He said the council approved the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme, a comprehensive framework designed to strengthen the cooperative sector and align it with the administration’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.

“The reform programme focuses on seven strategic pillars, including governance reforms, cooperative financing and the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, digitalisation, capacity building, value chain development, inclusion of youths, women and persons with disabilities, and strategic partnerships,” he said.

He said the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and the digitalisation of the cooperative sector were the two major transformational initiatives under the programme.

“The Cooperative Bank of Nigeria is aimed at rebuilding a strong cooperative financial system capable of supporting cooperators, farmers, artisans, traders, SMEs, youths, women and persons with disabilities with accessible and affordable financial services,” he said.

Abdullahi emphasised that the proposed bank would be government-enabled but not government-funded.

“Government is not establishing the bank as an owner, nor will it rely on Treasury Single Account funds.

“The role of government through the FMAFS is to provide policy support, stakeholder coordination, regulatory facilitation and an enabling environment under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme,” he said.

Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to cooperative sector transformation.

She described cooperatives as critical tools for promoting inclusive growth, grassroots productivity, food security, financial inclusion and community wealth creation.

Ambrose-Medebem said Lagos State would continue to support reforms and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (2025–2030).

“Together, let us build a cooperative ecosystem that is modern, transparent, digitally enabled, financially inclusive and globally competitive.

“Let us build cooperatives that not only mobilise savings, but also mobilise prosperity,” she said.