--- title: "Pixalate Week in Review: April 13 - April 17, 2020" description: Pixalate reviews this week's news in the programmatic ad fraud space. Find the most critical ad tech and privacy news from 13-17 April 2020. image: https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/phone-malware-ad-fraud.png --- [![pixalate-full-logo](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Pixalate_Logos/pixalate-full-logo.jpg?width=150&height=60&name=pixalate-full-logo.jpg "pixalate-full-logo")](https://www.pixalate.com) Search **Menu** ** ** ![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/phone-malware-ad-fraud.png) [Weekly Recaps](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/weekly-recaps) | 3 min read # Pixalate Week in Review: April 13 - April 17, 2020 Written by [Pixalate](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/author/pixalate) Apr 17, 2020 5:10:00 PM This week's review of ad fraud and quality in the digital advertising space. ### **1: Report: Mobile App Programmatic Advertising in the Age of COVID-19** [![covid19-mobile-cover](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/covid19-mobile-cover.png?width=600&name=covid19-mobile-cover.png)](https://info.pixalate.com/covid19-programmatic-ad-spend-mobile-app) Pixalate this week released its latest report, [Programmatic Ad Spend in the Age of COVID-19: Mobile App Advertising](https://info.pixalate.com/covid19-programmatic-ad-spend-mobile-app), an analysis of how U.S. programmatic advertisers reallocated investments in March 2020 in response to the crisis. **Key Findings: Programmatic mobile in-app ad spend drops 14% in March 2020** - **Mobile ad spend:** Mobile in-app ad spend decreased 14% in March - **Sports apps take a hit:** Major sports apps, including ESPN Live Sports and the NBA’s official app, saw a 95%+ hit to programmatic ad spend in March - **‘Parenting’ apps take off**: Apps in the ‘Parenting’ category on Android saw a 122% rise in programmatic ad spend - **‘Food & Drink’ apps rise:** Apps in the ‘Food & Drink’ category on iOS saw a 97% increase in programmatic ad spend [![See The Research](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2364596/277cffb2-debc-4701-9c82-ff17d210c7aa.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2364596/277cffb2-debc-4701-9c82-ff17d210c7aa) ### **2. Pixalate study: Mobile in-app ad spend falls 14% during crisis** ### **![money-down](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/money-down.jpg?width=600&name=money-down.jpg)** Reporting on Pixalate's [Programmatic Ad Spend in the Age of COVID-19: Mobile App Advertising](https://info.pixalate.com/covid19-programmatic-ad-spend-mobile-app) report, [Mobile Marketer](https://www.mobilemarketer.com/news/mobile-in-app-ad-spend-falls-14-during-crisis-study-finds/576145/) highlights the overall decrease in mobile programmatic app ad spend. "Mobile in-app ad spend fell 14% in March as the COVID-19 pandemic dampened demand for ad inventory," wrote Mobile Marketer. "The 16% decline for Android devices was bigger than the 13% drop for iOS devices between the first and last weeks of March." ### **3. Digital video ad market set to decline 5.2% in H2 2020** ![mobile-video-phone-play](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/mobile-video-phone-play.png?width=600&name=mobile-video-phone-play.png) "Digital video advertising, which grew 35.5% last year, is projected to expand only marginally this year, due mainly to a second-half crash in demand from U.S. advertisers," reported [MediaPost](https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/350197/high-flying-digital-video-ad-market-crashes-secon.html). "That's the finding of revised estimates from eMarketer, which projects digital video ad spending will decline 5.2% during the second half of 2020." ### **4. Bad actors manipulate major platforms with 'fraudulent COVID-19 ads'** ![phone-malware-ad-fraud](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/phone-malware-ad-fraud.png?width=600&name=phone-malware-ad-fraud.png) Investigating apparently fraudulent COVID-19 mask ads, [Ad Age](https://adage.com/article/digital/how-bad-actors-manipulate-google-facebook-and-snapchat-fraudulent-covid-19-ads/2249721) writes of a "sprawling network of sites that show how hard it is for platforms to police the web." The article notes that the apparent scam is "testing all the biggest companies on the internet," including Facebook, Google, and Amazon. ### **5. COVID-19 crisis is opening the door to all types of fraud** ### ![cybercrime-criminal-hacker](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Media/Blog%20photos/cybercrime-criminal-hacker.png?width=600&name=cybercrime-criminal-hacker.png) "Scammers are targeting websites and mobile apps designed to track the spread of covid-19 and using them to implant malware to steal financial and personal data," reported the [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/14/theres-another-coronavirus-crisis-brewing-fraud/). "Thieves are even posing as national and global health authorities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the [World Health Organization](https://www.who.int/about/communications/cyber-security), to conduct phishing campaigns. They send emails designed to trick recipients eager for reliable health information into downloading malicious code."  ### Search Blog Search ### Follow Pixalate ### Subscribe to our blog *By entering your email address and clicking Subscribe, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use ](https://www.pixalate.com/terms)and [Privacy Policy.](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) Previous Story [← Programmatic advertising in the age of COVID-19: Mobile app ad spend dips 14%; ‘Sports’ lose 95% but ‘Parenting’ apps soar 122%](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/covid19-programmatic-advertising-mobile-app-trends) [** ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog) Next Story [Programmatic Connected TV/OTT ad spend drops 14% in the face of COVID-19; Hulu, Sling TV among biggest fallers: New report →](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/covid19-programmatic-advertising-connected-tv-ctv-ott) ## You May Also Like These Stories on Weekly Recaps [![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/pixalate-week-review-june-13.png) ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/june-20-2025) [Weekly Recaps](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/weekly-recaps) ### [Pixalate Week in Review: June 16 - June 20, 2025](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/june-20-2025) Jun 20, 2025 11:09:13 AM | 3 min read [![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/pixalate-week-review-june-13.png) ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/june-13-2025) [Weekly Recaps](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/weekly-recaps) ### [Pixalate Week in Review: June 9 - June 13, 2025](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/june-13-2025) Jun 13, 2025 11:39:50 AM | 3 min read [![](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/June-6-Pixalate-Recap.png) ](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/june-6-2025) [Weekly Recaps](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/topic/weekly-recaps) ### [Pixalate Week in Review: June 2 - June 6, 2025](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/june-6-2025) Jun 6, 2025 1:00:13 PM | 2 min read ** ### Subscribe to our blog *By entering your email address and clicking Subscribe, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use ](https://www.pixalate.com/terms)and [Privacy Policy.](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) ![pixalate-logo-red-small](https://www.pixalate.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2018NewTemplate/pixalate-logo-red-small.png?width=208&name=pixalate-logo-red-small.png "pixalate-logo-red-small") ** By entering your email address and clicking Subscribe, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.pixalate.com/terms) and [Privacy Policy](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) Products [Analytics](https://www.pixalate.com/products/analytics) [Blocking](https://www.pixalate.com/products/blocking) [Media Rating Terminal](https://www.pixalate.com/products/mrt) [Publisher Trust Indexes](https://www.pixalate.com/rankings/?group=app&reportId=publisherTrustIndex) [Seller Trust Indexes](https://www.pixalate.com/rankings/?group=app&reportId=publisherTrustIndex) [IoT Device Rankings](https://www.pixalate.com/rankings/?group=app&reportId=iotDeviceReach) Resources [Blog](https://blog.pixalate.com/) [Press](https://www.pixalate.com/press) [Careers](https://www.pixalate.com/jobs) [Team](https://info.pixalate.com/pixalate-leadership-team) Contact Email [** sales@pixalate.com ](mailto:sales@pixalate.com) [** privacy@pixalate.com ](mailto:privacy@pixalate.com) US: [** +1 888 749 2528 ](tel:+1%20888%20749%202528) EU: [** +44 (0)800 011 2050 ](tel:+44%20(0)800%20011%202050) Slack: [Join ATSAPI Slack Channel ](https://atsapi-pixalate.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-10dtow5cj-OEtlNr5yzJkrZMQUqcEEow#/shared-invite/email) Offices Global Offices US 1775 Greensboro Station Place, Suite 425, McLean, VA 22102 UK 20 North Audley Street London, W1K 6WE, United Kingdom EU 10 Earlsfort Terrace Dublin 2, D02 T380, Ireland Singapore 10 Anson Road, #22-02 International Plaza, Singapore 079903 [![facebook](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/facebook.png) ](https://www.facebook.com/pixalate) [![x](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/twitter-x.png) ](https://twitter.com/pixalateinc) [![linkedin](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/linkedin.png) ](https://www.linkedin.com/company/pixalate) ![wechat](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/wechat.png) [![slack](https://www.pixalate.com/hubfs/footer/icons/slack.png) ](https://atsapi-pixalate.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-10dtow5cj-OEtlNr5yzJkrZMQUqcEEow#/shared-invite/email) [Terms of Use](https://www.pixalate.com/terms) [Privacy Policy](https://www.pixalate.com/privacypolicy) [GDPR Compliance](https://www.pixalate.com/gdpr) Disclaimer Copyright © 2025 Pixalate [Back to top **](https://www.pixalate.com/blog/programmatic-ad-fraud-news-april-17-2020#) # Disclaimer Disclaimer: The content of this page reflects Pixalate’s opinions with respect to the factors that Pixalate believes can be useful to the digital media industry. 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