More Than £3.5bn Spent On TV Advertising Last Year

More than £3.5 billion was spent on TV advertising during 2002, a decrease of 5.7% on the previous year, when adspend topped £3.7 billion.

Figures from Thomson Intermedia show that FMCG brands were the most lucrative TV advertisers during 2002, investing more than £843 million in the medium throughout the course of the year.

FMCG companies spent around £40 million less on TV advertising during 2002 than they did in the previous year. However, they still invested almost double that of entertainment, media and leisure companies, which ploughed over £449 million in to the medium.

Retail brands also spent heavily on TV during 2002, with adspend exceeding £431 million, almost £90 million less than in 2001. Financial companies invested £359 million in the medium, but this was overshadowed by the £657 million that they spend on direct mail.

Automotive and IT/Communications brands were relatively light TV advertisers, spending £299 million and £194 million respectively. However, both invested heavily in press advertising, with automotive companies ploughing £571 million in to the medium and IT/Communications brands spending £379 million.

2002 was a difficult year for TV advertising with the ongoing advertising downturn and the rise of more accountable forms of marketing taking their toll on the UK’s main commercial broadcasters. However, recent forecasts from Initiative Media suggest that the worst could be over, with TV adspend predicted to grow by 3.8% during 2003 (see UK Advertising Forecasts From Initiative Media).

Thomson Intermedia: 020 7549 4343 www.thomson-intermedia.com

Recent Research Stories from NewsLine TV Viewers Rarely Watch Adverts During Commercial Breaks Radio Increases Share Of Daily Media Consumption WAP Services Go From Strength To Strength In December

Subscribers can access ten years of NewsLine articles by clicking the Search button to the left