Half-year record for US online ad revenue: IAB

US online advertising revenue rose 11.3 percent during the first six months of the year to 12.1 billion dollars to set a half-year record, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) said Tuesday.

The IAB and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report said online ad revenue in the second quarter of the year was up 13.9 percent over the same period last year to 6.2 billion dollars, also setting a quarterly record.

Display-related advertising, which includes banner ads, rich media, digital video and sponsorships, rose nearly 16 percent during the first six months of the year to 4.4 billion dollars, the IAB said.

Internet search advertising rose 11.6 percent to 5.7 billion dollars in the first six months of 2010 and remains the largest percentage of overall interactive spending at 47 percent, the IAB said.

"With the strongest first half on record, 2010 has so far indicated that Internet advertising is back, and better than ever," PwC partner David Silverman said.

"While the recession clearly affected short-term growth in 2009, with double-digit growth in both search and display during the first six month of 2010, the long-term prospects continue to be strong," Silverman said.

Last year was the first year of decline for online advertising revenue in the United States since 2002.

(c) 2010 AFP