July 22 (Reuters) - Twitter Inc on Friday blamed uncertainties related to its $44 billion acquisition by Elon Musk and a weakening digital ad market for a surprise fall in quarterly revenue.
Twitter, which has sued Musk for dropping his offer to buy the company, said advertising revenue rose just 2% to $1.08 billion.
It reported second-quarter revenue of $1.18 billion, compared with $1.19 billion a year earlier. Analysts were expecting $1.32 billion, according to Refinitiv IBES data.
Twitter shares fell 3.1% after announcing quarterly results.
The company's results come after Snapchat parent Snap Inc posted weak results and declined to make a forecast, citing "incredibly challenging" conditions as advertisers cut back on spending.
Twitter and its peers, including Snap and Alphabet, saw an uptick in revenue last year as brands spent heavily on advertising online, eyeing a recovery from the pandemic.
But inflation pressures and fears of a recession this year have forced brands to rethink their marketing budgets.
At the same time, Gen Z-favorite TikTok and tech giant Apple Inc, which gives users the choice to opt of data tracking, are grabbing market share in the digital ad space.
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