Online/interactive advertising revenue is forecast to reach $ 42.5 billion by 2015, nearly double 2010′s $ 21.7 billion, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.4 percent, according to a new report from BIA/Kelsey.

This growth is tied to anticipated improvement in the U.S. economy and a continued increase in overall local advertising, which is expected to reach $ 153.5 billion in 2015, up from $ 136.3 billion in 2010, representing a 2.1 percent CAGR.

As digital media — delivered to consumers through mobile, Internet or other electronic methods — continues to gain traction with local advertisers, BIA/Kelsey predicts it will represent 23.6 percent of all local ad spending by 2015.

“As the business climate improves and advertisers step back into the market, they are gravitating to digital options that perhaps were not as mature before the recession began,” said Tom Buono, chief executive officer, BIA/Kelsey.

“Our analysis indicates that as advertisers move to online, mobile and, particularly, the variants of social media, we are fast approaching a tipping point where digital media will soon become a dominant segment of the local advertising marketplace.”

Other highlights from the report include:

*The increased number of smartphones and tablets is already playing a role in affecting revenue shares earned by traditional media.

*Continued significant newspaper revenue erosion will drive pay walls and other creative approaches for rebuilding revenue base.

*The interactive/online sector continues to advance and multiply with new formats such as social and mobile.

The report also found that social media is increasingly becoming an important part of online revenue. Consumer spending on deal-a-day offers, which the firm expects will grow to $ 3.9 billion by 2015, illustrates an expanding market that includes Facebook and Twitter.

“What we’re seeing in terms of media share shifts and transformation is really unprecedented,” said Neal Polachek, president, BIA/Kelsey.

“As we look forward, the core issue challenging advertisers is to figure out a media plan that leverages the transactional nature of digital media with the scale and reach of traditional media.”

Printing company RR Donnelley said today it has acquired Journalism Online, a company aimed at helping news papers monetize their web content.

Financial terms of the deal were not released.

Three veteran media executives are behind Journalism Online including Steven Brill, founder of Court TV, Gordon Crovitz, a former publisher of The Wall Street Journal, and Leo Hindery, a former chief executive of AT&T Broadband.

Journalism Online created a payment platform called “Press+” that allows newspapers and magazines to charge readers for access to online content via a password-protected website. Press+ allows publishers to offer users a mix of options for subscribing to premium content, including metered and mobile/tablet access, improved site functionality, and out-of-market access.

“Our publishing customers continue to develop multi-channel advertising and editorial strategies and Press+ provides a valuable tool for monetizing content,” said Thomas J. Quinlan III, RR Donnelley’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

“We provide solutions across the entire breadth of the publishing supply chain, from content creation and digital asset management through subscription solicitations, processing and renewals. Press+ enhances our offering and opens new avenues for publishers to generate incremental subscription and advertising revenue.”

Staples said today it has launched a website focused on tablets to help people research and compare devices that fit their needs.

Staples.com/tablets will offer side-by-side feature and price comparisons, photos, videos and business apps.

*Videos such as “Why Buy A Tablet?” and “Tablet Specs to Consider”

*Business tools and benefits of new tablets on the market

*Recommendations on tablet protection and storage accessories

*Key features of each tablet and a glossary of terms

Staples said tablets will be available in all of its retail locations and online starting this spring. Initially Staples will offer Motorola XOOM, BlackBerry PlayBook and Dell Streak. It will also offer new tablets from Acer, Dell, HP, Toshiba over the next few months.

“Tablets are the hottest new technology and Staples continues to be at the forefront with a wide assortment of tablets and EasyTech and Staples Advantage associates to help consumers and businesses get the most from their tablet purchase,” said Peter Scala, Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager Office Technology, Staples.

“The majority of us turn to the internet to learn and understand new technologies. The Staples tablet microsites provide information to help customers make informed decisions and, once they decide on the product best for them, the ability to purchase with fast and free delivery.”

The number of Americans who accessed financial accounts (bank, credit card, or brokerage) via mobile devices reached 29.8 million at the end of 2010, a 54 percent increase over 2009, according to a new report from comScore.

“More people are turning to the convenience of mobile devices for their financial service needs, fueled in part by the adoption of smartphones, 3G devices and unlimited data plans,” said Sarah Lenart, comScore vice president.

“The ubiquitous nature of mobile devices affords financial brands an important channel to reach and engage customers, whether it’s at home, work or on-the-go. As brands compete for customer loyalty in this competitive market, marketers will need to focus on continually improving the mobile customer experience and adjusting to the changing landscape and consumer needs as they access their financial information.”

Mobile browsers were accessed by 18.6 million users to view financial information in the fourth quarter of 2010 , up 58 percent from the previous year, 10.8 million accessed their accounts via applications, up 120 percent. SMS (text message) represented the smallest access point for financial service audiences with 8.1 million users, up 35 percent.

Among mobile banking and credit card users, nearly half prefer going online via a fixed device as the main way to access their accounts, with 47 percent of mobile banking customers and 44 percent of mobile credit card users doing so. Mobile has become an increasingly important access channel with 36 percent of mobile credit card users and 26 percent of mobile banking customers indicating it is their primary method of accessing their accounts. Only a small segment of these users listed speaking with a representative in person or on the phone as their preferred access method.

comScore also looked at the reasons people do not use mobile devices for financial activities. The results indicated that preference for using a fixed online device topped the list for both smartphone and non-smartphone users at 53 percent and 45 percent, respectively. Security concerns were also rated highly as a concern among both smartphone users (33 percent) and non-smartphone users (30 percent). Nearly a third (29%) percent of non-smartphone users said cost was a reson for not accessing accounts, while only 10 percent of smartphone users said the same thing (as unlimited data plans void this concern for many smartphone users).

More than a quarter (26%) of smartphone users also said that slow connections speeds limited their mobile financail service usage. Only 6 percent of smartphone users and 5 percent of non-smartphone users said not knowing about these services was the reason why they did not access these accounts.

Online radio service Slacker said today it will begin offering users access to ESPN Audio content.

Slacker users will have access to a dedicated station for sports entertainment, with the option to include ESPN SportsCenter headlines for hourly updates on any Slacker station, and and the ability to create custom sports stations with ESPN Radio programming.

ESPN on Slacker Radio will feature up-to-the-minute coverage of major sporting events and news stories on both a national and regional level. The ESPN Radio station will also offer access to content from multiple ESPN programs and platforms, including Mike & Mike in the Morning, SportsCenter, and The Herd with Colin Cowherd.

Users of the free Slacker Basic Radio service will have access to the interactive programmed ESPN station. Slacker Radio subscribers will have unlimited access to ESPN Radio integration including the ad-free programmed station with unlimited skips, the ability to create a personalized, custom sports station based on a number of preferences including specific sports, regions and teams, and the choice to add top of the hour SportsCenter updates in English or Spanish to any Slacker station.

Slacker said ESPN Radio integration is “coming soon” but did not provide a specific date.

“ESPN Audio is the authoritative voice of sports news and original programming, which is key to Slacker’s goal to offer our listeners access to the most diverse content and programming possible,” said Jonathan Sasse, senior vice president of marketing at Slacker.

Apple said today its iPad 2 will go on sale in 25 more countries this Friday, March 25.

iPad 2 will be available at Apple retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers at 5 p.m. local time and online at the Apple Store beginning at 1 a.m.

“While competitors are still struggling to catch up with our first iPad, we’ve changed the game again with iPad 2,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO.

“We’re experiencing amazing demand for iPad 2 in the US, and customers around the world have told us they can’t wait to get their hands on it. We appreciate everyone’s patience and we are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone.”

iPad 2 with Wi-Fi will be available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK on March 25 for $ 499 (US) for the 16GB model, $ 599 (US) for the 32GB model, $ 699 (US) the 64GB model.

iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G will be available for a suggested retail price of $ 629 (US) for the 16GB model, $ 729 (US) for the 32GB model and $ 829 (US) for the 64GB model.

iPad 2 will be available in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and additional countries in April, and in many more countries around the world in the coming months.

Nearly 13 million Americans who are on social networking sites will accept any request from a member of the opposite sex, even if they don’t know that person, according to a new survey released by ID Analytics and conducted by Harris Interactive.

Men on social networking sites are more than twice as likely as women to accept any and all invites from someone of the opposite sex (18 percent compared to seven percent for women).

While Americans are willing to accept online requests on social networks, only half (50%) who are on social sites actually trust those connections to keep their data private. Despite this lack of trust, the survey also found that more than 24 million Americans on social networking sites keep their online profiles “mostly public.”

The key identity elements that consumers should be careful before exposing on social networks are:

“Friending someone online is not risk-free. Just as in the bricks-and-mortar world, it makes sense to exercise a bit of prudence. Most social networking profiles contain personal information that can be used by fraudsters, and when you friend someone, you are giving them access to this information.”

Other findings include:

*Men between the ages of 18 to 34 on social networks were the most likely to accept invites from anyone of the opposite sex compared to older men.

*Five percent of U.S. adults on social networks will accept any friend request they receive – regardless of who sends them.

*Americans who have joined an online social network were twice as likely to state that it is important to have as many business social media contacts as possible (39 percent), compared to personal connections on social networks (19 percent).

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released two new reports on Internet access and telephone subscribership in the U.S.

The reports are based on data submitted by carriers to the FCC every six months. They track changes at the state and national level in the number of subscribers to Internet service in 72 combinations of speed, and the number of wireline, mobile and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephones subscribers.

The report found 60 percent of Internet connections were slower than 4 megabits per second (Mbps) a download speed identified by the FCC as the minimum bandwidth generally required for high-quality voice, data, graphics, and video.

Growth of fixed broadband service was flat at 1 percent in the first half of 2010, to 82 million connections.

Highlights from the telephone subscribership report include:

*Interconnected VoIP grew by 21% between June 2009 and June 2010.

*Conventional switched access lines (i.e., traditional wireline telephone lines) decreased by 8% between June 2009 and June 2010.

*28% of all residential wireline connections were interconnected VoIP as of June 2010.

*An estimated 77% of interconnected VoIP subscribers received service through a cable provider.

*The number of subscriptions to wireless phone service grew by 5% in the year.

Apple’s iPad 2 is already drawing parody in late night TV before it’s even available to consumers. Conan O’Brien did a video mocking Apple’s iPad 2 video, which it played at the launch event and posted to the web.

“I don’t know about you, but I saw the video,” says Conan, introducing his version. “I personally think that the people at Apple are starting to get a little bit cocky. I do.”

“iPad 2 is the culmination of literally 2 to 3 meanings. It’s truly incredible how little we did,” says Graham Davies, Vice President Marketing in Conan’s video. “We knew that if we changed the color, put pictures of water droplets on the desktop, made it a little faster, added two holes with cheap cameras in them, and just kind of flattened it a bit, people would just go nuts.”

“One of my favorite things about the iPad 2 launch is that I get to keep this tight black shirt, which I think really pops against white backgrounds,” adds Graham Davies, Vice President Marketing.

“Is iPad 2 incredible? Yes,” says Merti Mahlo-D’que – Vice President Dream-Telligence. “Are you believing what I’m saying partially because I have a non-specific ethnic accent? Absolutely.”

“Most customers will say, ‘What about me? I just bought the old iPad.’ And to you, I say F*** off,” says Davies.

At the end, the following text appears: “iPad 2. You’ll buy it no matter what we say.”

The iPad 2 will ship on March 11 in 26 countries, followed by more on March 25. If you really did buy the old one, Apple’s real response is to give you a hundred bucks off your purchase – a little more desirable than the response in Conan’s iPad video.

Community-driven search engine Blekko has introduced new publisher tools focused on link transparency and customized search via Blekkogear.

One of the new tools is called Blekko Link Roll, an embeddable site widget that shows links to a site in real time. Blekko CEO Rich Skrenta tells WebProNews, “The links are pulled in with javascript, so Googlebot will not see them at all. There is no risk that Google would perceive the link widget as an attempt to sell page rank.”

Blekko also tells WebProNews “As you know, top brands have recently ended up in the headlines, because vendors may have paid for links to sites in order to fool search engines into higher ranking. Blekko is combating this with the link widget, which allows sites to provide the world link transparency.”

Blekko has also introduced an Embeddable Search Box that allows site owners to customize search tailored to specific content and specific sites.

“Our search box lets publishers build a customized, vertical search engine that will return little to no spam because the search is limited to sources the publishers trust,” said Skrenta.

The Blekko publisher tool package includes:

*The Live Link Roll or Inbound Link Widget, showing publishers who is linking to their site and who they are being linked to.

*Embedded Search Box with customized vertical search.

*SEO Toolbar, allowing users to add slashtags from any site, mark spam and view SEO data in real time