Strange ad request count from Facebook Audience Network

Solar2D Monetization (in-app purchases, ads, etc.)
#1

Can anybody think of an explanation for this one?

One of our games is basically dead. It’s had about 100 downloads since 2017, we don’t market it, and the console claims it has 9 active installs so in a nutshell it’s just dead. Dead dead.

Despite this, I’ve been meaning to swap the ad network out for Facebook just in case it happens to take off, and I finally did so on Thursday.

The above figures in mind, and also factoring in that I’m UK based, Facebook is showing over 13,000 as requests from America over the 13th and 14th! And not one single request was filled.

Any thoughts? Even if it’s a bug and the game itself is somehow generating stupid numbers of requests, why then would the UK request count be so much more plausible?

Somewhat baffled.

#2

Sorry, thought I’d taken a shot of the countries tab. Better version attached now.

#3

I had a similar thing in admob.  I requested another ad if the request failed.

I racked up millions of requests in countries where there was no fill - like Pakistan, Libya, etc.

Maybe you have a similar issue?

#4

Ah, that might be it actually! I am doing a new .load() every time there’s a fail to try and make sure an ad is ready in advance of the .show()

Two questions then:

  1. Why would the U.S be a zero fill rate? I’m not actually sure why there’s ever a failed fill actually.

  2. How did you work around it? Just disabling ads when there’s a failed fill seems like a shot in the foot and we don’t really have anything to advertise of our own that this would be the right audience for…

#5

Well US fill should be 100% (or as near as).  Maybe spawn a 1 minute timer to check again for a valid ad?

#6

I did read somewhere that Facebook relies on the user having a Facebook account and logging into it from the device within so many days for it to pick an advert for them, so I guess it could just be a single person without a Facebook account that’s spawned a tonne of requests.

I’ll try your timer method, and maybe increase the interval each time there’s a fail.

#7

Sorry, thought I’d taken a shot of the countries tab. Better version attached now.

#8

I had a similar thing in admob.  I requested another ad if the request failed.

I racked up millions of requests in countries where there was no fill - like Pakistan, Libya, etc.

Maybe you have a similar issue?

#9

Ah, that might be it actually! I am doing a new .load() every time there’s a fail to try and make sure an ad is ready in advance of the .show()

Two questions then:

  1. Why would the U.S be a zero fill rate? I’m not actually sure why there’s ever a failed fill actually.

  2. How did you work around it? Just disabling ads when there’s a failed fill seems like a shot in the foot and we don’t really have anything to advertise of our own that this would be the right audience for…

#10

Well US fill should be 100% (or as near as).  Maybe spawn a 1 minute timer to check again for a valid ad?

#11

I did read somewhere that Facebook relies on the user having a Facebook account and logging into it from the device within so many days for it to pick an advert for them, so I guess it could just be a single person without a Facebook account that’s spawned a tonne of requests.

I’ll try your timer method, and maybe increase the interval each time there’s a fail.