US newspaper ad revenue down 27% in 2009
Total US newspaper advertising revenue – including print and online – fell 27% in 2009 to $27.6 billion, according to new figures from the Newspaper Association of America.
Advertising revenue in the fourth quarter of 2009 was down 24% year on year to $7.7 billion, said the NAA, while online ad revenue for the full year was down almost 12% to $2.7 billion. This followed a 2% decline in 2008.
Classified ad revenue fell 38% to $6.2 billion last year and now accounts for 22% of total ad revenue, down from a peak of around 40%.
John Sturm, NAA chief executive officer, said: “Unfavorable trends for newspaper ad spending continued to diminish as the fourth quarter progressed, a sign that business conditions have begun to gradually improve.”
Total US adspend was down 9% overall in 2009, according to The Nielsen Company.
Spending was down an estimated $11.6 billion to $117 billion last year, said Nielsen, continuing a trend of at least six straight quarters of negative growth in the US ad industry.
Looking at the UK, figures from the Advertising Association predict that after nine consecutive quarters of year on year decline, adspend will return to growth in Q3 2010.