• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer, November 2, 2012

According to the IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and Pwc US, internet advertising revenues climbed to an all-time high of $17 billion, in the first half of 2012, representing a year-over-year 14% increase.

Highlights of the report include:

• Mobile generated significant growth, up 95% to $1.2 billion in the 1st half of 2012 from $636 million in the comparable 2011 period
• Digital video, a component of display-related advertising, saw an increase of 18% year-over-year, bringing in a little over $1 billion in revenue in the first two quarters of 2012 compared to nearly $900 million in the first six months of 2011
• Search revenues in the first half of the year totaled $8.1 billion, up 19% from nearly $6.8 billion during the same timeframe in 2011
• Display-related advertising revenues in the first half of the year totaled almost $5.6 billion, accounting for 33% of 2012 half-year revenues, up 4% from $5.3 billion in the first half of 2011
• Retail advertisers constitute the largest category of internet ad spending for the first half of this year, claiming 20% of the total revenues at $3.4 billion, while Automotive brought in $2.2 billion for first-half 2012, marking an uptick to 13% versus 11% of category spend reported for half-year 2011 at $1.7 billion

Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO, IAB, says that  “... this report establishes that marketers increasingly embrace mobile and digital video (and) interactive platforms... on the heels of a study from Harvard Business School... that points to the ad-supported internet ecosystem as a critical driver of the U.S. economy... “

David Silverman, a partner at PwC US, says “... bringing the power of the Internet to mobile devices has opened up a world of possibilities to both consumers and marketers...”

Sherrill Mane, Senior Vice President, Research, Analytics and Measurement, IAB, observes that  “... double-digit growth in a stagnating economy is a significant accomplishment... CPMs are maintaining, and even increasing, further substantiating the vitality of the internet ad market... ”

For additional details from the report, please visit the IAB here.