How to Read an App Ad Revenue Report: eCPM, Fill Rate and RPM Explained

Short answer: an app ad revenue report is built from three numbers: how many ads were requested, how many of those requests were filled, and how much each thousand shown ads paid. The headline terms are eCPM (earnings per 1,000 impressions), fill rate (the share of ad requests that returned an ad) and RPM or revenue per 1,000 sessions or page views, which depends on how many ads a user sees. Reading them together tells you whether a drop in earnings is a traffic problem, an ad-demand problem or a placement problem.

General information for app owners reading ad-network and partner reports, not financial advice.

The terms in plain language

Estimated versus finalized earnings

Ad networks usually show estimated earnings during the month and adjust them when the month closes, for example after invalid-traffic filtering. A partner's report should say clearly whether it quotes estimated or finalized figures, and the final payout should reconcile to the network's own statement.

Questions to ask when a partner sends you a report

Ask for the figures broken down by country and ad format, ask which ad network and account the earnings came through, and ask how the revenue-share percentage was applied to the total. If the numbers cannot be traced back to a network statement, that is the point to pause before accepting further payouts.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good eCPM for an Android app?

There is no single good number. eCPM varies widely by country, ad format (banner, interstitial, rewarded video) and time of year, so compare your own figures over time and against similar apps rather than against a fixed target.

Why did my ad earnings drop while installs stayed the same?

Check fill rate and eCPM first. Earnings can fall because fewer ads are being filled, because the mix of countries shifted towards lower-paying regions, or because daily active users dropped even though total installs did not.

Why do estimated and final earnings differ?

Networks adjust the monthly total after validating traffic and settling advertiser payments, so the final amount can differ from the running estimate. Rely on the finalized statement for payouts.

Can I verify what my monetization partner reports?

You should be able to. Ask for read-only access to the network report or a screenshot of the statement for each payout period, and confirm the revenue-share calculation against it.