Zenith

Following five semi-annual revisions since it was first benchmarked in July 2021, the Big 4 agency holding company forecasting composite for worldwide ad-spending growth for this year has fallen 1.1 percentage points to 4.3%. The composite — a simple average of each holding company’s percentage growth estimate for total ad spending — also shows the consensus falling to 5.8% for worldwide growth next year, down from +7.1% when it was first benchmarked in January 2022.

Executives from NBCUniversal Local, Magna Global, Zenith and Dentsu told a TVNewsCheck webinar last week that the move from GRPs to impressions, plus Nielsen’s inclusion of BBO homes in its measurement, will make for a year of transition before ratings normalize.

The global advertising industry will notch higher growth this year than previously expected as brands are relying more heavily on search engine and social media companies such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Meta Platforms to reach customers during the pandemic, according to two ad industry forecasts released today.

Advertising spending on TV in the United States is expected to increase 4% to $65.151 billion in 2022 from pandemic lows, but growth will be limited and pale compared to digital video, according to a new forecast from media agency Zenith.

Media agency Zenith is forecasting a decline in U.S. TV ad spending in 2021 as audiences shrink and marketers pour their advertising dollars into digital video. “Audiences continue to migrate online, and online video viewing is growing rapidly, even as traditional television ratings shrink again after a one-off spike when lockdowns began in 2020,” Zenith said in its report. “Advertisers value online video as a means of maintaining reach while television declines, but it’s an effective form of brand communication in its own right.”

Advertising spending is due to decline 9.1% in 2020 due to COVID-19, according to a new forecast by media agency Zenith. Regionally, the U.S. is benefiting from political spending ahead of the November elections, with the decline projected at 7% in 2020. Zenith now forecasts that digital advertising will account for 51% of global ad spend this year, up from the 49.5% it forecast in December.

Leading executives in the spot TV advertising ecosystem will talk about ways to entice a larger number of marketers to invest in local TV during a TVNewsCheck webinar on Aug. 6. The event, which will focus on short- and long-term issues facing the industry, will feature (top, l-r): Frank Friedman, E.W. Scripps; Jane Meyerson, ICON International; Joe Cerone, Zenith; (bottom, l-r):  Rob Weisbord, Sinclair Broadcast Group; Mark Gorman, Matrix Solutions and Ted Kramer, ProvantageX.  Register here.

Programmatic trading continues to grow — exceeding $100 billion for the first time in 2019 and rising to $127 billion in 2020 and $147 billion in 2021, according to a new forecast from Publicis Groupe media agency Zenith.

Despite trade disputes and fears of recession, the ad market has remained strong year-to-date, driving global ad growth. Overall, Zenith is now forecasting that global ad spend will grow by 4.4% this year to reach $640 billion, down slightly from the 4.6% prediction made in June. Growth is expected to remain stable at 4.3% in 2020 and 4.4% in 2021.

Neil Vendetti, president of investment at Zenith, will explore what advertisers are looking for in a disrupted media environment in the keynote interview at TVNewsCheck’s annual TV2020: Monetizing the Future conference in New York in October.