Q1 Ad Spending Flat, But Cable Sees Growth: Nielsen

African-American TV Also Posts Double-Digit Gain In Period

By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News, 6/16/2008 5:30:00 PM

Advertising spending in the first quarter remained essentially flat compared to the same period last year, although cable and African-American television posted double-digit gains, according to preliminary figures released Monday by Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

Advertising was mixed with gains in some mediums and declines in others, with total ad spending up just a hair, increasing 0.5%.

Despite a continued softening of the economy, several media and companies showed healthy growth in advertising for the first quarter. For example, cable TV and African-American television tied for second place in terms of growth, each up 12.9%, behind the No. 1 gainer national Sunday supplements, which saw growth of 19.2% over the year-ago quarter, according to Monitor-Plus.

African-American television includes BET, TV One, and cable and broadcast programs with audiences composed of 50% or more of that minority group.

TNS Media’s take on first-quarter ad spending also gave cable an advance, albeit at a single-digit rate.

According to Monitor-Plus, Spanish-language TV enjoyed a 7.7% gain in ad spending in the first quarter. 

Local Sunday supplements fared worst among the 17 media tracked by Nielsen, declining 13.5% compared with the same period last year. Broadcast network TV was down 3.4%.

Internet advertising impressions grew by 14.7% in the first quarter, with sponsored search- link advertising drove overall growth, and rich media led growth in the display category.  

Of the 10 biggest advertisers, AT&T ranked third in the first quarter, but its spending was down 16.15% to $465.7 million. Verizon Communications ranked fourth, up 0.43% to $401.4 million. Time Warner was No. 8, down 7.75% to $323.7 million, and The Walt Disney Co. was 10th, down 9.67% to $299.9 million.