App spending hit $400 million during socially isolated holiday season
As stay-at-home orders were reinvoked worldwide over Christmas, people spent more on games.
- I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
Disney Plus made $2.6 million in revenue in the US during Christmas, Sensor Tower said.
App spending hit a massive $407.6 million during Christmas, according to estimates by Sensor Tower. The record comes as COVID-19 cases continue growing, with lockdowns and quarantines reinvoked across the globe over the holidays. During the same period last year, people spent $100 million less on apps, Sensor Tower said this week.
Of the $400 million spent, $295 million went on games and $112 million on other apps like streaming services .
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People in the US accounted for $130 million of the total spent, with Roblox the top mobile game and Disney Plus the top non-game app. Roblox pulled in $6.6 million in the US on Christmas, while Disney's streaming service made $2.6 million, according to the data.
Globally, Tencent's Honor of Kings was the biggest mobile game downloaded during the holidays, earning $10.7 million while TikTok made $4.7 in revenue on Christmas, Sensor Tower recorded.
App spending passed $100 billion for 2020 in November -- the most ever spent, Sensor Tower said.