Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META, XETRA:FB2A, SIX:FB) is expected to overtake Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)'s Google as the largest digital advertising company by net revenue, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing eMarketer projections.
Meta is projected at about $243.46 billion versus Google’s $239.54 billion, the publication reported.
That would mark a milestone shift in the digital ads market: Meta, long seen as trailing Google in advertising dominance, is now projected to move ahead on a measure that strips out traffic acquisition costs and revenue-sharing payments, making the comparison more direct across platforms.
The WSJ report attributed Meta’s surge to stronger monetization from Reels, improved AI-driven ad targeting, and steady growth in newer products like WhatsApp and Threads.
Meanwhile, Google’s ad business faces increasing competition from players such as Amazon, TikTok, and emerging AI-driven search alternatives, including OpenAI, alongside signs that its US search ad share may dip below 50% for the first time in over a decade.
The broader implication, the WSJ notes, is that Meta’s advertising machine has evolved from catching up to Google into directly challenging, and potentially surpassing, it at the top of the global digital ads market.