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TV advertising spend overtaken by online

Online advertising spending in the UK has overtaken television expenditure for the first time, a report has said.

Outlay grew 4.6% to £1.752bn between January and July, according to the study by the Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The recession saw overall advertising slide by 16% in the period, according to the study.

Email campaigns, classified adverts, display ads and search marketing are all classed as online advertising.

Justin Pearse, editor of industry website New Media Age, said the tough economic times had led to a significant fall in TV advertising spending, which saw it being overtaken about a year earlier than most had expected.

“It had to happen eventually, but online advertising has been seen as the poor cousin to TV for so long that it’s still a huge milestone.”

Technology firms were the biggest spenders on online adverts, making up about 19% of the market, the report said, followed by telecoms firms, the finance sector and entertainment and media.

Guy Phillipson, chief executive of the Internet Advertising Bureau, said: “We have a rollercoaster of a year ahead, but even in tough economic conditions, marketers still recognise the value, accountability and measurability of online advertising.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .