Media Sales Today

Television viewing data for the fourth quarter of 2010 shows TV habits differ by demographic group, with the oldest Americans watching the most, and teenagers watching the least. The Nielsen also shows 2010 TV ad spending was up 8 percent over 2009.

The latest advertising spending forecast shows an expected overall increase in U.S. advertising dollars of 2.5 percent in 2011. Industries expected to increase spending are financial, retail and automotive. While an increase of any size is welcome after the past few years, this latest report predicts it will be several years before spending returns to pre-recession levels.

Newly released numbers show 71 percent of Americans rate watching TV among their favorite media activities, which may not surprise anyone. Not only are American’s watching, Deloitte’s most recent “State of the Media Democracy” study shows 86 percent say television advertising has the biggest impact on their buying decisions.

I’m sure I’m not the only consumer that is breathing a sigh of relief now that political ads are over. But there’s no denying the boost that this year’s political advertising gave to local TV advertising revenues; with the elections behind us, what can spot TV expect for the rest of the year?

There’s no doubt that most people spend time with multiple screens on a regular basis, and some new research shows airing an ad on both online and television greatly increases its effectiveness.

Sshhhh. I’ve got a secret for you. Advertisers want to buy time during scripted shows, not reality shows. “What?” You gasp. “I know,” I whisper back. Media buyers are reporting a small, slow shift in the paradigm.

It looks like broadcast advertising is making a comeback — as indicated by early commitments. Advertising Age estimates that advertisers have ponied up between $8.1 and $8.7 billion among the 5 networks. The spending is a gain from last year, and the amount of time bought increased from 2009.