Yahoo reported gross revenue of $1.13 billion and $1.07 billion in ex-TAC revenue for Q1 2014. GAAP revenue was down 1% from the same period last year, but ex-traffic acquisition revenue was up 1%.
GAAP display revenue was $453 million for Q1 2014, flat compared to the same period last year. Yahoo increased the number of ads sold by approximately 7% compared to Q1 2013, but price per ad decreased by about 5% compared to the same period last year.
Yahoo earned $445 million in search revenue for Q1 2014, a 5% increase compared to $425 million for Q1 2013. Paid clicks increased approximately 6% compared to Q1 2013 and price per click increased approximately 8% compared to Q1 2013.
Yahoo’s 24% stake in Alibaba continues to be a bright spot for the company. Alibaba reported its Q4 earnings had more than doubled from the previous year to $1.4 billion while its revenue surged 66% to $3.06 billion.
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer noted that the company now has 430 million active mobile users, up from 400 million in Q4 last year. Mayer also touted several times during the call Yahoo Gemini, a marketplace for mobile search and native advertising, but did not share any performance numbers.
Mayer highlighted mobile, video, social and native as key growth areas for Yahoo, and said her plan is to “monetize through native formats,” although she also noted these four areas are “still nascent and not material yet” in relation to the rest of the company’s business.
Mayer did not reveal Tumblr’s revenue numbers, except to note user growth on Tumblr’s platform. Notably, CFO Ken Goldman acknowledged Yahoo needs to be more transparent about Tumblr metrics going forward.
Very little was mentioned about Yahoo’s programmatic strategy. The company is still migrating campaigns onto Yahoo Ad Manager and Ad Manager Plus, Mayer said, and expects to continue doing so through the second quarter.
