Facebook: Quarter of global population used site daily in December - BBC

The fig of radical utilizing Facebook regular grew to an mean of 2 cardinal successful December - astir a 4th of the world's population.

The bigger-than-expected maturation helped thrust caller optimism astir the company, which has been nether unit arsenic its costs emergence and advertizing income slump.

Shares successful genitor institution Meta surged much than 15% successful after-hours commercialized arsenic brag Mark Zuckerberg declared 2023 the "year of efficiency".

He said helium was focused connected outgo cuts.

"We're successful a antithetic situation now," helium said, pointing to the firm's revenue, which declined successful 2022 for the archetypal clip successful its past aft years of treble digit growth.

"We don't expect that that's going to continue, but I besides don't deliberation it's going to spell backmost to the mode it was before."

Meta, which besides owns Instagram and WhatsApp, announced a large restructuring past year, including reducing bureau abstraction and cutting 11,000 jobs oregon astir 13% of staff.

The steadfast said those moves outgo it $4.6bn past twelvemonth - hitting its profits, which were astir chopped successful half. It inactive brought it successful $23.2bn successful nett for the year.

"2022 was a challenging twelvemonth but I deliberation we ended it having made bully progress," Mr Zuckerberg said.

In the 3 months to December, the steadfast said gross was $32.2bn, down 4% year-on-year.

But that was amended than galore analysts had expected.

Meta had alarmed investors past twelvemonth erstwhile it posted the archetypal ever diminution successful regular Facebook users successful its past and signalled it was focusing investments connected virtual reality, known arsenic the metaverse.

But successful December, the fig of users connected the tract regular was up 4% from a twelvemonth earlier, adding users adjacent successful Europe and the US and Canada.

Meta said the fig of radical progressive crossed each of its apps each time was up 5% year-on-year.

Mr Zuckerberg said the institution was making advancement with its video merchandise - Reels - which it has been focused connected arsenic it faces disconnected with rivals specified arsenic TikTok, which person gained traction, particularly among younger users.

Mr Zuckerberg said those efforts were starting to wage off, and advertisement dollars were starting to travel users to the videos.

Investors seized connected the company's forecast of little costs and stronger income than expected successful the months ahead, helping nonstop shares higher.

The institution besides said it would walk an other $40bn to bargain backmost shares, which dropped sharply past twelvemonth amid capitalist doubts astir the absorption of the company.