The state of internet advertising in Europe is about what it was in the U.S. two years ago - and is growing rapidly, according to an eMarketer report. Online advertising ad spend in the five largest countries of Western Europe - France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K. - reached about $2.2 billion (1.863 billion euros), an increase of 38.2 percent from the prior year, and is expected to reach 2.2 billion euros in 2006.
As of 2006, there will be Internet users In those five Western European states, the number of internet users will reach154.1 million this year, according to the report, "Europe Online Advertising: Spending Trends & the Target Audience," with the largest number in Germany (44.9 million), followed by the U.K. (34.4 million) and France (26.3 million).
As of this year, more than half of the total population goes online in only the U.K. and Germany. France and Italy are set to reach that mark next year.
