Worldwide Internet Outlay Surpassed Magazines For First Time Last Year

ZenithOptimedia has upgraded its global ad-spending forecast again, now predicting 2.2% growth in 2010, up from the 0.9% increase it had projected four months ago, which was itself a slightly more optimistic projection than the 0.5% gain anticipated before that. North America led the world into recession and will be the last region to emerge, according to ZenithOptimedia, which predicted a 1.5% drop in ad spending here this year.

The Internet grew its share of global ad spending to 12.6% last year from 10.5% in 2008, surpassing magazines' slice of the pie for the first time, and will keep growing in share -- to 13.9% this year, 15.4% next year and 17.1% in 2012, according to ZenithOptimedia, which is part of Publicis Groupe. By that point global ad spending online will be in striking distance of newspapers, which got 23.1% of the world's ad spend last year but will garner 21.7% this year and just 19.4% in 2012.