Ad blockers pose potential revenue threats to Google and Facebook, as their primary income sources rely heavily on digital advertisements.

In the ever-evolving world of digital advertising, a significant shift is underway. Companies like AdGuard, AdClear, AdBlock, and Ghostery, known for their ad-blocking tools, are making waves in the mobile online advertising market. These firms, which primarily provide ad-blocking solutions for browsers such as Safari, Chrome, and Microsoft Edge, aim to enhance privacy and browsing speed by removing ads and trackers.

Apple's recent move to support content-blocking plugins, including ad blockers, in its iOS 9, has added fuel to this fire. The Been Choice ad blocker, approved by Apple, has even extended to Facebook's executable code. This development could potentially impact the digital revenues of tech giants like Facebook and Google, the biggest players in the online ad industry.

Facebook, for instance, generates 95% of its revenue from advertising, with 78% coming from mobiles. If ad blocking gathers pace, as suggested by a study by PageFair and Adobe that reveals 198 million people worldwide use ad blocking software, Facebook's revenue could take a significant hit.

Google, on the other hand, doesn't make money directly from phones, but a loss of users from its product ecosystem could impact its mobile services. Moreover, Apple's support for ad blocking in iPhones could pull many customers away from Android handsets to iOS.

The focus in this digital advertising landscape is on improving engagement, delivering audience insights, and protecting and growing media revenues. Publishers are now responsible for delivering quality content that consumers demand, effectively replacing intrusive advertising while driving digital revenues. This shift is necessary, as 40% of people who click Google ads don't realise they are actually ads.

Publishers like City AM and Bild have already started blocking users who browse with ad blockers installed. However, Google, in its latest investor call, pointed out the poor ad experience as a driver of ad blocking, but overlooked the role of publishers using its platforms for intrusive advertising.

In response, Facebook admitted in its market filing this November that ad blocking technologies could harm its future financial results. Richard Jones, CEO of EngageSciences, emphasised the need for publishers to deliver quality content to replace intrusive advertising, while still driving digital revenues.

Steve Jobs, before his death, promised to "go thermonuclear" to "destroy Android". While it's unclear how this promise would manifest in today's context, Apple's support for ad blocking in iPhones could be seen as a step towards fulfilling that promise, potentially redefining the mobile advertising landscape.