Research by Sensor Tower shows the average U.S. iPhone user spent $40 on apps and in-app purchases in 2016, up from $35 in 2015.
The Entertainment category saw an impressive increase in revenue, as spending for the category rose 130%, due to impressive performances by HBO Now, Hulu and Netflix. Netflix alone collected $58 million in revenue from App Store subscriptions during 2016.
Games Outperform All Other Categories
While the Entertainment category grew by the largest margin last year, the Games category continues to be the largest money-maker, accounting for over than 80% of U.S. App Store revenue. Spending on games increased from $25 in 2015 to $27 in 2016. The jump in games spending was likely aided by Pokemon Go’s debut. The game crossed the $1 billion revenue threshold just last month.
Oddly enough, while app spending increased in 2016, users actually downloaded fewer apps than they did in 2015. Downloads per user fell from 35 down to 33 last year. All categories saw drops in the number of downloads for 2016.
The figures in Sensor Tower’s report are based on estimate of 132 million active iPhone devices in the United States for calendar year 2016 (January 1 through December 31), as calculated by Sensor Tower using estimates from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) and additional panel-based sources. iPhone app download and revenue estimates for the corresponding period were produced by Sensor Tower’s Store Intelligence platform.
(Via CNET)
