US Internet Ad Revenue Rises to Record $59.6 Billion in 2015, IAB Says

U.S. Internet advertising revenue reached a record $59.6 billion in 2015, 20 percent above the prior year, helped by a surge in mobile, digital video and social media ads, said the Interactive Advertising Bureau in a report released Thursday. IAB's report, prepared by PwC, said it's the sixth consecutive year the industry has seen double-digit growth. Mobile advertising soared to $20.7 billion in 2015, 66 percent above 2014, the report said. “Mobile’s impressive upswing is a testament to its increasing importance to marketers,” IAB CEO Randall Rothenberg said in a news release. "Three key disruptive trends -- mobile, social, and programmatic -- continue to fuel this,” added PwC partner David Silverman. The report said nonmobile digital video ad revenue totaled $4.2 billion in 2015, up 30 percent from the prior year, while social media ad revenue totaled $10.9 billion in 2015, up 55 percent from 2014. Retail advertisers generated 22 percent of total revenue in 2015 -- up from 21 percent in 2014 -- the largest category of Internet ad spending, the report said.