With a little extra data behind the release, the Interactive Advertising Bureau announced that Internet advertising revenues reached $5.8 billion for the first quarter of 2008, an 18.2 percent increase over the same period in 2007, and represent the second highest quarter ever recorded, after the 4th Q 2007.

Randall Rothenberg, president and CEO of the IAB “We continue to experience significant growth and vitality in interactive marketing, media and advertising… (and) expect growth to continue, as… marketers find more and more innovative ways to reach them through digital media.”

David Silverman, partner, Assurance, PricewaterhouseCoopers “The fundamentals of interactive advertising spend continues to be positive and I would expect to see continued growth in the future.” said “The cyclical fourth quarter to first quarter drop in traditional media advertising spend, combined with an overall economic slowdown, resulted in a not so unexpected first quarter slowdown in the growth of online advertising.”