Speaking of the unlockdown, one app that has its downloads directly correlate with the lockdown is seeing things go back to pre-pandemic levels.
That's Ticketmaster.
In the last few months, as more events started opening up, downloads of Ticketmaster have started to climb out of the very deep hole they were in during the pandemic. Weekly downloads have surpassed pre-lockdown numbers with 280K downloads for the first week in September, and unlike the temporary spike in March, these numbers are the result of a very positive trend.
The (grand) re-opening. This is great news for many who rely on the IRL industry to thrive in order to exist. It's hard to tell how long it'll take to fully get back to normal, or if we will completely, but judging by this demand, even if we don't, this is going to be great.
The most important item to keep an eye on is how events will hybrid access. Sports already did that pre-pandemic, and that trend has grown a lot since, so it's likely here to stay. But concerts and other similar events that were always just IRL may need to adapt as well. I expect to see more events going hybrid, which will increase revenue and give a more global audience access to what they couldn't have accessed before.
The live aspect of events brings an excitement that can't translate over a screen, but some is better than none, in my opinion.
December saw a curious split: downloads dropped 2% while revenue sat at $1.3B. ChatGPT and TikTok dominated both charts as the mobile industry enters a new maturity phase.
Wall Street bet $2 billion on Polymarket, and downloads surged 1,172% in December. The prediction market banned in 2022 is now where Wall Street looks for signals.