Digital, TV Drive Ad Spending In July

The national advertising market experienced growth of 10 percent in July according to data provided by Standard Media Index. Digital continues to dominate in terms of advertising spend, as marketers poured 17 percent more into the platform last month.

After declining for April, May and June, National TV finally experienced growth of three percent, excluding the World Cup. Within that category, cable TV rose five percent YoY while broadcast fell one percent in terms of ad revenue.

In July, the Upfront market grew five percent, while the Scatter market grew one percent. Standard Media Index attributes the growth of National TV ad spend to an increase in the number of 30-second spots. There was also a reduction in unpaid spots, also known as makegoods or ADU.

According to alistdaily.com, revenue growth for televised sporting events was due entirely to soccer. Ad revenue for the sporting category dropped six percent if you don’t count the World Cup, but increased 20 percent if you do. Compared to the last match in 2014, however, in-game revenue dropped 29 percent.

News programming continues to be a draw for advertising dollars, especially MSNBC. The network grew an impressive 44 percent YoY in July. Broadcast news experienced the first YoY gains in 2018.

Out-of-home ad spend grew a modest one percent in July, while radio remained flat and print dropped 18 percent for the month.