Report: Online Ads To Beat Print Spend For First Time

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EMarketer forecasts online advertising will edge out print in total spending this year. While it says online dollars have already outstripped newspapers and magazines separately, today's announcement by the New York-based researcher marks the first time digital is projected to surpass the two combined.

U.S. online ad spending will grow by 23.3 percent in 2012, eMarketer projects, to $39.5 billion. By comparison, the researcher says online advertising grew by 23 percent last year, reaching $32 billion. It expects print advertising to reach $33.8 billion in sales, down from $36 billion in 2011.

"Advertisers' comfort level with integrated marketing is greater than ever, and this is helping more advertisers - and more large brands - put a greater share of dollars online," said David Hallerman, eMarketer principal analyst, in a prepared release.

Hallerman's firm also says digital revenues for newspapers in 2012 will continue to be a bright spot. eMarketer prognosticates that digital ad revenues for newspapers will grow 11.4 percent to $3.7 billion, after rising 8.3 percent to $3.3 billion last year. At the same time, print advertising revenues at newspapers will fall 6 percent to $19.4 billion in 2012, after dipping 9.3 percent to $20.7 billion last year.