SINGAPORE, March 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — App Annie, the mobile data and analytics company helping companies win on mobile, today announced its annual Top Publisher Award winners, recognizing the most innovative and successful publishers around the world. The Top 52 Publishers, as measured by app store revenue estimates in the last calendar year, are from 12 countries.
“We congratulate this distinguished group of mobile publishers from across the world,” said Theodore Krantz, Chief Executive Officer at App Annie. “The three top publishers, Tencent, Netease and Activision Blizzard, retained their leadership positions while seven new brands entered the Top 52 list. We are privileged to work with so many of the top publishers, delivering the analytics that contribute to their continued innovation as they deliver amazing consumer experiences.”
Again this year, publishers from Asia dominate the list. More than half of the top publishers are headquartered in this region, including five of the top ten. The United States had the most top publishers of any country, with seventeen.
Game publishers continue to dominate the ranks as gaming captured 72% of app store spend for the year. Leading social brands, mixi and Line, lead in app store monetization with the success of games and entertainment apps in their portfolios. Subscription revenue is outpacing the overall market’s growth, as demand for entertainment and dating apps soars. IAC and Netflix are top performers in the 2020 Top Publisher Awards, with IAC (Match Group) capturing the top spot among non-game publishers for its first time.
In Southeast Asia, publishers that are driving success are a diverse group from Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore. These publishers are leading the mobile transformation journey by disrupting traditional brands as they join the ranks of other more established global players to become homegrown unicorns.
Singapore-based Sea retained its top spot in Southeast Asia by downloads while at the same time entering the global charts by ranking 37th in the Top 52 publishers by consumer spend. The mobile-first market of Vietnam gained an edge over its Southeast Asia peers with four of its publishers—Amanotes, OneSoft, VNG and BACHASoft—in the top 10 ranking by downloads, while Telkomsel Indonesia made it to the Top 10 list list via its range of payment option services, integrated content, as well as gaming in its app.
In India, Reliance Industries maintained a clear lead over others. The conglomerate ventured into the world of start-ups via its Jio-branded apps. Launched in 2016, mobile carrier, Jio, is now India’s leading telecom company with its own app store comprising at least 13 different apps. Gaming and entertainment were at the core of other activities in India while Zomato food delivery service was the only anomaly in the Top 10 list.
Australia’s Top 10 list of apps by downloads saw the three media giants: Nine Entertainment, Telstra and Australian Broadcasting Corporation leading the ranks while Aristocrat, whose portfolio includes mobile games, followed closely behind ranking in the 4th position.
“We are honored to be Southeast Asia’s #1 publisher, and first from our region to rank among the world’s Top 52, building on a strong year of growth for Shopee and Garena,” said Dr. Santitarn Sathirathai, Group Chief Economist at Sea.
“2019 was a year of exponential growth both for our products and our people, and we made good progress towards our vision that ‘Everyone Can Music,'” said Bryan Teo, Chief Operating Officer at Amanotes.
“With so many great games and apps available to consumers, it is a privilege to be among the largest publishers in the world,” said Maya Okui, Executive Officer, Game Business Division at Line. “We will continue to deliver games and LINE apps which are unique to LINE for users around the world, leveraging important partners like App Annie.”
“We are honored to be once again in App Annie’s global Top 52 Publishers list,” said Matt Liu, Senior Global Publishing & Marketing Director of NetEase Games. “Netease Games has always endeavored to provide high-quality interactive entertainment experiences for passionate gamers around the world. While we are operating and managing competitive games such as ‘Knives Out’ and ‘Identity V,’ we will continue to explore overseas operating models of MMO games like ‘LifeAfter’ to bring higher quality content to players around the globe. With the multi-dimensional support from App Annie, NetEase Games will continue to thrive at a new peak.”
For the full list of the Top 52 Publishers, please visit our blog.
Typically, App Annie celebrates its winners with gala events. This year, due to coronavirus concerns, App Annie unveiled a Top Publisher Awards microsite that features top publisher announcements across countries, regions, and industries. It also features videos from App Annie executives and customers, and showcases winners and their tips for success. Visit our Top Publisher Awards site by registering here.
Methodology: The list is comprised of the top 52 mobile publishers by combined iOS and Google Play revenue estimates from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019. These rankings do not include revenue earned from in-app advertising, commerce, or payments outside of the app stores.
