U.K. TV Ad Revenue Hits All-Time High

LONDON: Total advertising revenue for television in the U.K. was up 2.2 percent in 2011, reaching a new record high of £4.36 billion ($6.85 billion), according to Thinkbox.

The total U.K. ad market rose approximately 1.5 percent, which means that linear TV’s share of total advertising has increased for the fourth consecutive year. There were 887 new or returning TV advertisers in 2011. New and returning advertisers accounted for 2.6 percent of total TV ad revenues, according to Nielsen Media Research.

TV viewing figures in the U.K. for the year were level with the record high set in 2010, with the average viewer taking in 4 hours and 2 minutes of linear TV a day. Commercial channels accounted for 64 percent of all TV viewing, an increase of 1.3 percent on 2010. The increase in commercial TV viewing also meant an increase in the number of TV ads that were watched. Commercial impacts—the number of ads watched at normal speed—for the year were up 2.6 percent on 2010. This has grown by 19.6 percent over the last five years to a new record high. The average viewer watched 47 ads a day during 2011.

Tess Alps, Thinkbox’s chief executive, commented: “This is an encouraging performance by commercial TV, especially as it follows the market-leading 16-percent revenue growth seen in 2010 and was achieved during uncertain economic times. The strength of linear TV advertising investment reflects commercial TV’s record viewing and the further acknowledgement by advertisers of the evidence of its unrivalled ability to create business profit. And it’s worth noting that, in addition to these revenues, TV is also driving one of the fastest growing parts of online advertising through TVOD.”