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Spending On National/Network Cable Advertising Rose Almost 17% In Calendar Year 2003

Cable Accounted For Two-Thirds Of The Combined Revenues Gains Made By All Sources Of National/Network TV in 2003

March 8, 2004

Annual spending on national/network cable TV advertising rose to an all-time high $12.7 billion in calendar year 2003—a gain of 16.7 percent versus the year before, according to a Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau analysis of StrADegy data. The additional $1.82 billion spent on national/network cable advertising in ’03 accounted for two-thirds of the combined gains of all sources of national TV combined: cable, broadcast and syndication.

Cable’s share of all national/network TV ad spending in 2003 was 34.1 percent, up from 31.5 percent the previous year. Broadcast TV’s share, on the other hand, slipped to 56.8 percent in ’03 from 60.0 percent the year before. Syndication’ share increased to 9.1 percent from 8.5 percent.

Among all individual advertisers, Procter & Gamble recorded the largest increase in cable TV ad spending in calendar year 2003—investing $128.3 million more than it did in 2002. Among all individual advertisers spending more than $50 million on cable in ’03, pharmaceutical marketer Novartis posted the largest percentage increase in cable outlays—158.0 percent, with its annual spending rising to $98.2 million from the previous year’s $38.0 million.

The top grossing national/network cable TV product category in 2003 was automotive ($1.1 billion, up 13.1 percent), followed by medicines & proprietary remedies ($810.6 million, up 23.5 percent).

NATIONAL/NETWORK TV AD SPENDING: FULL CALENDAR YEAR

    ($000)    
         
  Jan-Dec 03 Jan-Dec 02 $ Change: 03 vs. 02
CABLE TV 12,695,986 10,878,715 + 1,817,272 (+16.7%)
Share Of Total 34.1% 31.5%    
         
BROADCAST TV 21,190,095 20,742,105 + 447,990 (+ 2.2%)
Share Of Total 56.8% 60.0%    
         
SYNDICATED TV 3,395,792 2,945,596 + 450,196 (+15.3%)
Share Of Total 9.1% 8.5%    
         
TOTAL TV 37,281,873 34,566,416 + 2,715,457
SPENDING        

TOP 20 INCREASES IN NATIONAL/NETWORK CABLE AD SPENDING BY ADVERTISERS WITH 2003 BUDGETS OVER $50 MILLION: FULL CALENDAR YEAR

      ($000)  
         
    Total Cable $ Total Cable $ $ Increase: 03 vs 02
    Jan-Dec 03 Jan-Dec 02  
1. Procter & Gamble 514,572 386,277 128,295
2. Novartis 98,176 38,049 60,126
3. Worldcom 162,317 108,394 53,922
4. Sony 165,973 116,623 49,350
5. Walt Disney 168,339 130,013 38,326
6. Microsoft 93,385 55,972 37,413
7. Petmeds Express 92,553 55,817 36,736
8. Home Depot 76,573 45,813 30,760
9. Vivendi Universal 100,002 69,835 30,166
10. Kellogg 92,766 63,496 29,270
11. General Motors 369,000 341,968 27,032
12. Altria Group 187,443 160,935 26,508
13. Gillette 58,894 33,478 25,419
14. Nissan Motor 66,249 41,231 25,018
15. McDonalds 71,336 47,155 24,182
16. Dell Computer 129.031 104,984 24,047
17. Glaxosmithkline 140,383 116,896 23,488
18. Reckitt Benckiser 76,204 52,816 23,388
19. Hyundai 84,895 62,278 22,617
20. IAC/Interactive Corp. 78,152 56,099

22,053
         

Source: Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau analysis of StrADegy data.

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Content © 2005 by Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau (www.onetvworld.org). Reprinted with Permission.