Digital advertising spending in the United Kingdom (UK) 2007-2020

Digital advertising, also referred to as online, internet or web advertising, allows advertisers to bring promotional content to consumers using online technologies. It includes, among others, advertisements placed on social media platforms and search engine websites, banner ads on desktop, as well as mobile websites and promotional messages delivered via email. By the end of 2020, UK digital advertising spend is projected to be worth approximately 15.6 billion British pounds. In 2017, online advertising spend per capita amounted to 240 euros in the UK.

UK advertising expenditure

In 2019, paid search was considered to be the highest spending area for advertising at 7.1 billion British pounds, exceeding that of television, news brands, and pure-play digital classified combined. While digital advertising has been booming over the last decade, advertising through magazines saw a significant decline. Hence, magazine advertising expenditure fell to 718 million British pounds as of 2018, and was estimated to further decrease by 2020.

Digital advertising revenue

The growth of digital advertising was accompanied by substantial revenue streams for the major online platforms. Google has been experiencing continuous growth in its digital advertising revenue in the UK since 2011, which was estimated to reach 5.1 million British pounds by the end of 2019. The digital advertising revenue of Facebook observed an increasing trend as well. In 2017, Facebook revenue from advertising totaled approximately 1.9 billion British pounds and was set to increase to 2.6 billion British pounds in 2019.