U.K. Online advertising spending in 2005 swelled 66 percent over the previous year, reaching $2.39 billion (1.37 billion pounds), according to new data from the Internet Advertising Bureau (U.K.), reports Reuters. Online's share of advertising spend increased to 7.8 percent - up from 2004's 4.9 percent, and surpassing radio, consumer mags and outdoor. Online ad spend's "next milestone is 2 billion pounds - a real possibility within the next 12 months, which would make online bigger than national press," according to IAB Chief Executive Guy Phillipson.

Growth was driven in part by classifieds ad spend, which increased 62.4 percent to 262.2 million pounds, the IAB said. Search marketing had the largest gains, growing 78.8 percent year over year - to 768.4 million pounds.

The recruitment category was the largest online, with 22 percent share of ad spend, followed by finance (17.4 percent), automotive (12.4 percent) and entertainment and media (10.2 percent).