U.S. ad revenue at Elon Musk's X declined each month since takeover: Report

Elon Musk previously acknowledged that X took a hit on revenue and blamed activists for pressuring advertisers.

Monthly U.S. ad revenue at social media platform X has declined at least 55% year-over-year each month since billionaire Elon Musk bought the company formerly known as Twitter in October 2022, according to third-party data provided to Reuters.

The company has struggled to retain some advertisers since the takeover, as brands have been wary of rapid changes under Musk's ownership. X's chief executive, Linda Yaccarino, is expected to meet on Thursday with bank lenders who helped finance Musk's acquisition to outline the company's business plans, according to a person familiar with the plans.

U.S. ad revenue dropped by 78% in December 2022 compared with the same month the previous year, the steepest monthly decline since the acquisition, according to ad analytics firm Guideline, which tracks advertising spending data from major ad agencies.

Ad revenue in August, the latest data available from Guideline, declined 60% year-over-year. X declined to comment on the data.

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Musk previously acknowledged that the platform has taken a hit on revenue and blamed activists for pressuring advertisers. Last month, he accused the Anti-Defamation League of being the primary cause behind a 60% decline in U.S. ad revenue, though he did not provide a time frame.

In a statement on Wednesday, the ADL said any allegation that it caused losses to X were false. The organisation added it was prepared to begin advertising itself on the platform "to bring our important message on fighting hate to X and its users."