IAB and PricewaterhouseCoopers Survey Finds Online Advertising Hits All Time High

According to a new study done by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), online advertising hit a new high of $7.3 billion in Q1 2011 – an increase over Q1 2010 and the highest Q1 revenue level ever. This follows last year’s record-breaking first half, in which advertisers spent $12.1 billion. Annual 2010 revenue reached $26.04 billion, a 15 percent increase from 2009, also a new high.

The below IAB data highlights quarterly ad revenue growth in billions since 1999:

Search advertising made up the lion’s share of online ad revenues in 2009 at 46%.  In 2010, search accounted for 45% of revenues. The IAB has not yet released data for 2011 but using the past 2 years’ data as a guide, it is likely still the leader in online ad revenue generators.