UK Spends More on Online Advertising Than France and Germany Combined, IHS Says

Advertising spend online surpassed TV spend for the first time; Huge jump in market value to €36.2 billion

LONDON – IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), the leading global source of critical information and insight, in collaboration with IAB Europe, announced findings from its annual European online advertising report, AdEx Benchmark.

“The UK spent an impressive €11.8 billion in 2015”

“The top three markets still account for the lion’s share of the European online advertising market,” said Eleni Marouli, principal analyst at IHS Technology. “But what is notable is the gap between the UK, Germany and France.”

Contact [email protected] for a copy of the report.

The UK spent more than double on online advertising in comparison to Germany and almost triple the spend in France during 2015. “The UK spent an impressive €11.8 billion in 2015,” Marouli said. “It is clearly the first stop for advertisers in the region and shows no signs of slowing down.”

The report also highlighted impressive growth for Ireland, Bulgaria and Poland.

“Over the past ten years, online advertising in Europe has morphed from an afterthought in media buying into an indispensable set of channels for reaching and engaging consumers,” said Daniel Knapp, director of advertising research at IHS Technology. “Online advertising now trumps TV in terms of overall marketer spend. It stands for a diversified infrastructure catering to multiple marketing objectives from direct response to branding, as the sustained growth of both paid-for-search and video in our study demonstrates.”

Drivers

Programmatic, the rise of online video consumption and a shift to mobile are key drivers for the boom in spend,” Marouli said. “But, challenges like ad blocking, ad fraud and misuse of data are all big hurdles for the industry in the year ahead.”

The AdEx Benchmark research – the definitive guide to the state of the European online advertising market – revealed a €30 billion net addition to the online ad market in the last 10 years. All markets participating in the study recorded positive growth, a total of 20 markets grew double-digit for the second year running (three markets recording more than 30 percent growth, a further nine showing more than 20 percent growth and another eight showing more than 10 percent growth). Mobile and video formats continue to show strong growth.

Data

The top 10 list of markets are as follows.

Top 10 Rankings

1. UK – €11.8bn
2. Germany – €5.8bn
3. France – €4.2bn
4. Italy – €2.1bn
5. Netherlands- €1.6bn
6. Russia – €1.5bn
7. Sweden – €1.3bn
8. Spain – €1.2bn
9. Denmark – €0.8bn
10. Switzerland – €0.8bn

Top Individual Growth Markets

1. Ireland 29.0 percent growth
2. Bulgaria 22.3 percent growth
3. Poland 21.8 percent growth

About IHS Technology’s Advertising Media Intelligence Service

IHS Advertising Media Intelligence Service provides its clients with a holistic and global view of a rapidly evolving advertising and marketing landscape. Developed and maintained by a team of expert analysts, it offers accurate, continuously updated market data, forecasts and reports that give our clients deep perspective on a dynamic advertising market. As the only global product that offers the same detail and scope for both established and emerging media, IHS provides a unique, independent and objective view.

About IAB Europe’s AdEx Benchmark:

The data has been compiled by IAB Europe based on information provided by the national IAB offices around Europe. It is then processed and analyzed by IHS Technology. The report includes market size and value information for 2015 for the following markets: Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Romania, Russia, Spain, Slovakia, Serbia, Turkey, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. The data represents the calendar year 2015 January- December. This is the tenth AdEx Benchmark which began in the calendar year 2006. Display includes PC-based and mobile banners, rich media and video formats. See further explanatory note on data below.

About IAB Europe

IAB Europe is the voice of digital business and the leading European-level industry association for the interactive advertising ecosystem. Its mission is to promote the development of this young and innovative sector by shaping the regulatory environment, investing in research and education, and developing and facilitating the uptake of business standards. Together with its members – companies and national trade associations – IAB Europe represents over 5,500 organisations. www.iabeurope.eu

About IHS (www.ihs.com)

IHS (NYSE: IHS) is the leading source of insight, analytics and expertise in critical areas that shape today’s business landscape. Businesses and governments in more than 140 countries around the globe rely on the comprehensive content, expert independent analysis and flexible delivery methods of IHS to make high-impact decisions and develop strategies with speed and confidence. IHS has been in business since 1959 and became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2005. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, USA, IHS is committed to sustainable, profitable growth and employs nearly 9,000 people in 33 countries around the world.