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.
“The decline in ADUs is a positive sign for the industry, indicating that programs are delivering the expected audience figures this month,” said James Fennessy, CEO of Standard Media Index in a statement.
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.
If you noticed a lot more “possible side effects” scrolling across your TV set last month, that’s because prescription pharmaceuticals increased TV ad spend by 26 percent and 37 percent across all platforms.
Quick service restaurants opened their wallets to reach more audiences in July, increasing ad spend across all categories by 51 percent and 19 percent on TV.
Out-of-home ad spend grew a modest one percent in July, while radio remained flat and print dropped 18 percent for the month.