Internet Ad Revenue Rose to $49.5 Billion in 2014, IAB Report Says

Internet ad revenue rose to $49.5 billion in 2014, breaking the previous revenue record set in 2013 of $42.8 billion, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) said Wednesday in a report. Internet ad revenue in 2014 rose 16 percent over revenue in 2013 -- the fifth consecutive year of double-digit revenue growth, IAB said in the report. Internet ad revenue increased 17 percent year over year in Q4 to $14.2 billion, IAB said in the report, which was prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Search revenue was $19 billion of the $49.5 billion, while mobile advertising totaled $12.5 billion, IAB said. Social media advertising totaled $7 billion, while digital video advertising was $3.3 billion, IAB said. “Marketers clearly recognize that consumers are leading mobile-first lives and are investing their ad dollars accordingly,” IAB CEO Randall Rothenberg said in a news release. “The news of digital video’s double-digit growth is also no surprise. Brands and agencies are clamoring to get into the upcoming Digital Content NewFronts, where they will experience the latest in storytelling in sight, sound and motion.”