Online advertising 'overtakes TV'

Online advertising spending in the UK has overtaken television expenditure for the first time, a report has said.

Online spending grew 4.6% to £1.752bn in the first half of 2009, while TV spending shrank 16.1% to £1.639bn.

Advertising on Rochdale Online has grown by 12% in the same period, a period that saw the local newspaper close it's office on Drake Street.

Overall advertising fell 16% compared with the same period in 2008, according to the study by the Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The recession has accelerated the migration of advertising spending to digital technology - from more traditional media such as print, radio and television advertising to online, according to the report.