Latest in TV Advertising

A long-anticipated milestone will finally be attained this year according to eMarketer: Digital ad spending is expected to outpace traditional ad spending beginning in 2019, with digital going on to comprise more than two-thirds of total media spending by 2023. This year, total spending on digital ads will grow 19.1%…

As TV viewing continues to change, marketers are trying to keep pace. That means spending on traditional TV ads will fall by $1 billion to drop below the $70 billion plateau for the first time since 2015, according to a new forecast from eMarketer. With cord-cutting and over-the-top (OTT) viewing continuing to…

Bad news for traditional TV providers: Advertisers will probably spend about $75.6 billion on national and local TV this year — down 5.1% from last year, MoffettNathanson Research’s Michael Nathanson says today. That’s a drop from his previous projection for a 4.1% decline. TV has company. He sees all traditional…

Disney just unveiled plans to revamp its ad sales operation, combining all broadcast, cable network, and digital teams — except for ESPN’s — into a new organization led by Rita Ferro, President of Sales for Disney-ABC. The change, ahead of the upfront sales season, will create “a one-stop shop for our advertising…

The major broadcasters’ upfront ad sales season is just about wrapped up: Fox Networks Group is preparing to wind things up after cutting deals with high-single-digit- to low-double-digit increases in per-viewer prices, we’re told. The operation sold 75%-80% of the inventory, contributing to a 5% gain in the total…

CBS appears to be the first major broadcaster that’s nearly ready to close the books on its upfront ad sales, and the numbers continue to indicate that this is a strong year. With just a few deals left to complete, total sales are likely to wind up at close to $2.5 billion, about 5% higher than last year, we’re told…

Here’s the latest nail in the coffin of TV ad deals based solely on Nielsen measures of viewers’ age and sex. NBCUniversal says today that it will offer “select advertisers” in this year’s upfront market guarantees that their spots will reach more narrowly targeted audiences. The new offering from NBCU’s Audience…

Advertisers attending Fox’s upfront presentation this year can expect two sales pitches. One for its new shows. And another, based on an announcement this morning, for different ways to make ad deals — not necessarily based on Nielsen data. The changes constitute a suite of what Fox Advanced Ad Products calls…

Ad forecasters have been predicting for awhile that spending on the Internet will soon surpass traditional TV — and research firm eMarketer now says the lines will cross in 2017. The firm just lowered its projection for TV spending this year to $70.6 billion, an increase of 2.5% vs 2015. Last year it anticipated a…

It’s hard to recall the last time leading ad forecasters and CBS research chief David Poltrack were so far apart with their annual predictions for spending on U.S. television. But the veteran market watcher, in his widely followed annual prediction made today at the UBS Global Media & Communications Conference, says…

Is Comcast using its muscle as the No. 1 cable provider to restrict competition and set local pay TV ad prices? The Justice Department’s antitrust unit is looking into this, and has asked the company for information, the Wall Street Journal first reported and Comcast has confirmed. The cable company says it will…

There’s worrisome news for TV networks this morning from AOL, one of the companies trying to eat their lunch. Ad buyers are shifting about 10% of their TV budgets to digital platforms, the Verizon-owned digital company says in its latest State Of The Video Industry report, which is based on a survey of 300 brands…