Google ad revenue disappoints as rivals gain ground

People have been increasingly going straight to Amazon.com to hunt for products, allowing it to grab a larger share of the digital ad market

Google growth slowed in first quarter. Pic: Getty
Pic: Getty

First-quarter revenue atGoogle’s parent company Alphabet has missed analysts’ estimates, sparking concern that advertisers are shifting some spending to digital rivals.

Shares in the company fell more than 6 per cent following the results on Monday night, though they had hit a record level earlier in the day and are up around 20 per cent so far this year.

Sales came in at $29.5 billion, excluding payments to distribution partners, Alphabet said. Wall ...