Digital Ad Spend Poised To Pass Broadcast
The lines were bound to cross sometime. And 2015 is when core Internet spending will surpass broadcast TV — including its offshoot online services — according to a forecast out today from FTI Consulting. The firm projects that Internet spending will rise 11.4% to $41.8 billion while broadcast lifts just 0.9% to $38.9 billion.
A fourth-quarter 2014 slowdown in broadcast TV advertising came primarily from automotive and financial service/real estate marketers. Automotive companies — the biggest category, with a 14% share — slipped 5% to $1.019 billion, while financial service/real estate companies, with an 11% share, were down 4% to $774.2 million. In addition, retail marketers — the second-biggest category after autos, with a 12% share — were down 1% to $898.3 million.
