Internet advertising in US declined 5 percent in 2Q as recession crimped marketing budgets

US online ads fell 5 pct to $5.43 billion in 2Q

NEW YORK — Newly released statistics show that Internet advertising in the U.S. fell 5 percent in the second quarter as the recession continued to crimp marketing budgets.

It was the second consecutive quarterly decline in Internet advertising, extending the medium’s first slump since the aftermath of the dot-com bust in 2002.

The $5.43 billion spent on Internet ads during the three months ending in June compared to $5.75 billion at the same time last year, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Advertising has fallen much farther for newspapers, magazines and broadcasters, where the second-quarter declines ranged from 12 percent to 29 percent.