When did digital advertising overtake TV advertising globally?

Digital advertising surpassed global TV ad spending in 2016, marking a major milestone in the evolution of marketing. This shift reflects the transformation of the internet into a gold mine for advertisers, who gained unprecedented access to user data including interests, location, purchase history, and browsing behavior. The scale of this change is staggering, with nearly 5 billion smartphone users worldwide and over 30 websites receiving a billion visits monthly. This massive audience enabled super-personalized advertising - delivering specific ads to specific people at just the right time - providing advertisers with much better returns on investment compared to traditional advertising channels.