MUMBAI: US Internet advertising revenues stood at $10.9 billion for the first half of 2009, which was down 5.3 per cent from the same period in 2008 as per the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s (PwC) IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report.

Search and display-related advertising continue to represent the largest percentages of overall interactive advertising spend. Search revenues amounted to more than $5.1 billion for the first six months of 2009, up slightly from that same period in 2008.

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, showing a relatively modest 1.1% decline from the same period in 2008. Digital video continues to experience robust growth with a 38% increase from the first half of 2008.

"We are in one of the most difficult economic slumps in decades. Interactive is one of the advertising sectors that has been least affected. In recent years the digital revolution has driven a transformation of how consumers experience advertising and media. As the economy improves, we’re confident that brands will devote an even greater share of their budgets to reaching consumers as they make interactive media a larger part of their lives," said IAB president and CEO Randall Rothenberg.

"While the overall advertising market has continued to be impacted by current economic conditions, marketers are allocating more of their dollars to digital media for its accountability and because consumers are spending more of their leisure time online," said PwC Assurance partner David Silverman.