Online advertising sales hit a new high last quarter, in what could be further evidence that advertisers are turning their attention back to the Web.

Online ad revenue hit $2.2 billion for the fourth quarter of 2003 and $7.2 billion for the year, according to data released Thursday by industry group Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and independent audit firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. That's a 38 percent gain from the fourth quarter of 2002 and a 20 percent increase for the year.

Read more: CNet News.

Wonder how much of that is due to the fact that there is now better software out ther to force users to see the ads by floating them in front of what the user is trying to look at/read?

And how much might be due to users being better satisfied now that most decent sites keep their adverts subtle? (I especially like this sites method of hyperlinking specific words in posts. You know it's there if you'r interested, but can easitly ignore it if you're not. excellent!)