Spot TV 2019: Total -11.6%; Core Holds Steady
A forecast of a double-digit decline in spot revenue next year is the consensus of station groups and industry watchers surveyed annually by TVNewsCheck. The drop is due almost entirely to the lack of political advertising compared to this year. Otherwise, ad sales will be flat. The automotive sector, which accounts for about 25% of spot revenue, has been problematic this year, and there’s no clear sign that the category will improve to any notable extent in 2019.
Publicis’ Frank Friedman, GroupM’s Ed Gaffney, Gray Television’s Becky Meyer and Hubbard Broadcasting’s Val Napolitano will debate the impact of automation, big data and targeting during a session at TVNewsCheck’s TV2020: Monetizing the Future.
Sinclair Tops Annual Ad Revenue Ranking
Its pending acquisition of Tribune Media boosts Sinclair from fourth to No. 1 in TVNewsCheck‘s annual station group ranking by spot revenue. Other groups that advanced multiple slots from a year ago include Univision, Gray, Ion Media Networks, Berkshire Hathaway and News-Press & Gazette.
