Online advertising revenue fell five percent in the United States in the first quarter, the first year-on-year decline in seven years, according to figures released on Friday.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Pricewaterhouse Coopers said Internet advertising revenue fell to 5.5 billion dollars in the first three months of the year.

The year-on-year decline was the first since 2002, when online advertising was hit by the bursting of the "dot-com" bubble.

"Interactive advertising has taken its rightful place as a fixture on marketing plans across sectors, which means we aren't immune to broader economic trends," IAB president and chief executive Randall Rothenberg said.

"Nevertheless, consumers are spending more and more time with interactive media," he added in a statement. "We're confident that growth will resume as the US economic climate improves."

© 2009 AFP