The core business of Alphabet GOOGL, +0.31% GOOG, +0.50% commands roughly 30% of the $110 billion digital-advertising markets worldwide and is expected to maintain that lead in 2021 and beyond, according to eMarketer. YouTube is a big reason why, as it is expected to haul in $9.33 billion in 2020 and $11.4 billion in 2021, according to eMarketer. In February, Alphabet disclosed it brought in $15.1 billion in ads through YouTube in 2019, and $8.9 billion via Google Cloud.
If there is one company that will initially be hit hardest by ad cutbacks, it’s Google. Up to 40% of its revenue comes from categories hard hit by COVID-19: in-person retail, restaurants, travel, automotive and small businesses. But it is also likely to be the first to rebound because of its market leadership.