TV propels global ad-spend to pre-recession levels


Global advertising spending will reach the pre-recession high recorded in 2008 as growth in Asia Pacific offsets a softening of spend in Europe and the Americas. While the internet will be the fastest-growing medium, TV will remain the biggest category and contribute almost half of all new ad dollars in 2011.


The latest research from the ZenithOptimedia group says that global ad spend will come in at US$471 billion (€337 billion) this year, year on year growth of 4.1%. It notes that while the total will hit pre-recession levels in 2011, economic pressures, natural disasters and political disruption have all tempered ad-spend this year and more robust growth will return in  2012 and 2013.


ZenithOptimedia now forecasts 3.3% growth in ad spend in western Europe and 2.3% in North America. Central and eastern Europe and Latin America will grow by 9% and 6.7% respectively and Asia Pacific by a better than expected 5.9%. The only region expected to register a decline in ad revenues in the Middle East and North Africa, which will be down 12.1% year-on-year amid political turmoil in three of the largest ad markets: Bahrain, Egypt and Oman.


TV’s share of the global ad market continues to increase. It attracted 40.1% of all ad-spend in 2010 and that will increase to 41.4% by 2013, according to ZenithOptimedia. Next year TV ad spend will top US$200 billion for the first time and between 2010 and 2013, the cumulative amount spent globally on TV advertising will increase by US$35.4 billion, taking the total to US$215 billion.


The internet is the fastest-growing category and will generate cumulative ad revenues of US$72.2 billion this year, rising to US$95 billion by 2013.

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