�Costs of ad blocking rise to nearly $22b�

AFP, WASHINGTON: The use of software that blocks online ads is expected to cost websites some $21.8 billion globally in 2015, a study showed on Monday.
The study, by software group Adobe and Ireland-based consultancy PageFair, found that the number of Internet users employing ad-blocking software has jumped 41 per cent in the past 12 months to 198 million. The report said that while consumers have warmed to the idea of blocking online ads, they may not realize that the practice could hurt websites which rely on ad revenue.  Those losses are expected to grow to more than $41 billion in 2016, the study said.

�Costs of ad blocking rise to nearly $22b�

AFP, WASHINGTON: The use of software that blocks online ads is expected to cost websites some $21.8 billion globally in 2015, a study showed on Monday. The study, by software group Adobe and Ireland-based consultancy PageFair, found that the number of Internet users employing ad-blocking software has jumped 41 per cent in the past 12 months to 198 million. The report said that while consumers have warmed to the idea of blocking online ads, they may not realize that the practice could hurt websites which rely on ad revenue. Those losses are expected to grow to more than $41 billion in 2016, the study said.