18.9% growth for online ads, says report

2nd April 2008

The online ad industry in the US grew by 18.9 per cent last year, new data reveals.

While down on the 2006 figure of 35 per cent, the sector's advancement still outpaced all other industry sectors, according to Nielsen Company research.

Overall advertising grew by 0.6 per cent between 2006 and 2007, a slowdown said by some commentators to reflect the wider economic downturn in the US.

Newspaper ad revenues dropped by 7.7 per cent over the year, continuing their downward trend.

The magazine advertising sector experienced 7.6 per cent growth, with the corresponding figure for outdoor advertising standing at 7.2 per cent.

Meanwhile, a new Hitwise report shows that online video streaming grew by 178 per cent in 2007.

The 12-month period saw YouTube represent almost 70 per cent of all British visits to video broadcasting sites, while the BBC's iPlayer was also a prominent industry presence.