Internet advertising revenues in the United Kingdom rose by 4.2 percent from US$5 billion in 2008, to $5.3 billion in 2009, according to the new study conducted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Since the dot com crash of 2001, Internet advertising spending in the country reported growth every year during the decade - from $232 million in 2000 to $5.3 billion. It has boosted 2,200 percent, Mike Sachoff wrote on the Internet Financial News.

The online ad growth outperformed the overall British advertising market, which, according to ZenithOptimedia's data in December, had an estimated 13 percent drop in 2009, Reuters reported.

The biggest gainer in 2009 was paid search, which was up by 9.5 percent to reach $3.1 billion, making up 60.7 percent of all online ad spending, compared to 59.3 percent in 2008.

Although online display saw a yearly 4.4 percent decline in 2009, online video performed well, with a 140 percent increase year-over-year.

"In 2009 the advertising industry was hit hard but online has proved itself a winning medium, capturing a greater share of marketing budgets," according to Guy Phillipson, chief executive officer of the IAB.

"In the past year we've seen some real success stories as search passed the 2 billion pound mark and online video advertising experienced spectacular growth," Phillipson added.