Yahoo Tops Display Ad Sector in 2009

Yahoo’s taken a lot of heat over the past couple years, but it’s hanging tough in the display-adverting market. A new report from the Web data shop comScore recapping the online media story of 2009 shows just how sizable a lead the Web pioneer enjoys in the segment, as well as the rise of social hubs MySpace and Facebook.

eCommerce Guide takes a look at the numbers, which also provide a window into the shape-shifting social-media landscape.

U.S. Internet users saw an eye-popping 4.3 trillion display ads last year, with one company standing apart from the crowd as the runaway leader in graphic advertising.

Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO) held a commanding lead over the next-closest display advertising network, serving up 521.2 billion ads on its sites, according to a new report from online metrics firm comScore (NASDAQ: SCOR).

Fox Interactive Media, the division of News Corp. that includes MySpace, checked in at No. 2 with 367.6 billion ads, followed by Facebook, which served up 329.6 billion placements.

In total, comScore reported a 21 percent increase in the number of display ads served on U.S. sites in 2009. In measuring the category, comScore counts both static and rich-media graphics, but does not include video ads.

For Yahoo, the display segment figures to play a central role in the company’s ongoing turnaround mission as it looks to build out its content verticals and boost sales of premium inventory for branded messages.

Read the full story at eCommerce Guide:


Yahoo Led the Pack in Display Ads in 2009