Facebook Inc’s penetration rate in Taiwan is higher than in any other market in the world, an executive of the world’s largest social network said yesterday.
Facebook director for North Asia Jayne Leung (梁幼莓) told a press briefing that the number of active Facebook users in Taiwan reached 15 million per month in the fourth quarter of last year, representing about 65 percent penetration among the country’s population and edging out Hong Kong’s 61 percent for the top spot.
Taiwan had a Facebook penetration rate of about 60 percent in the second quarter of last year, when it was ranked top in Asia, according to Facebook data.
The number of daily users in Taiwan also reached 11 million during the fourth quarter, up 10 percent from the second quarter, while active daily mobile users increased by 20 percent to 8.5 million, Leung said.
Facebook did not give Taiwan user statistics for the third quarter.
“Taiwan is a very healthy market for us and we have seen huge growth here in the mobile segment,” Leung said.
Facebook plans to hire more sales and marketing staff in its North Asia offices this year to serve advertisers in key vertical industries, such as e-commerce, fast-moving consumer goods, telecommunications, tourism and finance, she said.
The social network will also add a new advertisement reseller in Taiwan to seek more business opportunities from mobile ads, Leung said.
In the fourth quarter of last year, Facebook’s mobile ad revenue accounted for 53 percent of its overall revenue, reaching US$1.25 billion, higher than the company’s total revenue in the same period of 2012.
Its mobile-only monthly active users amounted to 296 million during the October-to-December period of last year, nearly doubling the 157 million in the year-earlier period, according to Facebook data.
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