U.S. Internet Ad Spending Fell 5.3% In 1st Half 2009: Report
October 05 2009 - 12:24PM
Dow Jones News
U.S. advertisers spent $10.9 billion on Internet ads in the
first half of 2009, a 5.3% decline from the same period last year,
the Interactive Advertising Bureau said Monday.
Search advertising continued to represent the largest percentage
of overall interactive ad spending, with search revenues reaching
more than $5.1 billion in the half of 2009, up slightly from that
same period in 2008, the group said in a report produced with
PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Display-related advertising-which includes display ads, rich
media, digital video and sponsorship-totaled nearly $3.8 billion in
the first six months of 2009, a 1.1% decline from the same period
in 2008, the IAB said.
Digital video ads remained at tiny segment of the market with
$477 million in spending, but the sector continued to show robust
growth with a 38% increase from last year.
The report largely confirmed what Internet giants such as Google
Inc. (GOOG) and Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) have been saying for months -
that the economic downturn has taken its toll on Internet
advertising, but not in an even fashion and not the to degree in
which the offline ad market has suffered.
"We are in one of the most difficult economic slumps in decades.
Interactive is one of the advertising sectors that has been least
affected," Randall Rothenberg, president and chief executive of the
IAB, said in a statement.
-By Scott Morrison; Dow Jones Newswires; 415-765-6118;
scott.morrison@dowjones.com