Television Ads Losing Ground to The Internet

Mobile ad spending will soon overtake radio and magazine ad spending

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Television’s share of total advertising spending will peak in 2013 before losing ground for the first time in at least three decades to digital media, according to report from industry forecasters ZenithOptimedia.

The report, released Monday, still predicts overall television spending will rise — the industry as a whole is expected to grow the most in ten years — but at a slower rate than online ad spending. Television, which accounted for 31 percent of ad spending in 1980, will account for 40.2 percent in 2013 before dropping down to  39.3 percent in 2016.

Instead, industry growth will be primarily driven by mobile advertising, which today makes up only 2.27 percent of ad spending. By 2016, advertising on smartphones and tablets will account for 7.7 percent of ad spending, more than the amount spent on either magazines or radio, according to the report. Desktop advertising is expected to continue to grow, from 17.9 percent of ad spending to 18.9 percent.

See a summary of the report here.