U.K. TV Ad Market Reached Record High in 2013

LONDON: Total TV advertising revenue in the U.K. rose 3.5 percent in 2013 to reach a new record high of £4.63 billion ($7.75 billion), according to full-year revenue figures provided to Thinkbox by the U.K.'s commercial broadcasters.

2013 marked the fourth consecutive year that TV ad revenue had growth in the U.K. TV ad investment is forecast to increase again this year, boosted by the World Cup in Brazil. The Advertising Association/Warc predicts growth in revenue for the TV ad market of 6 percent in 2014.

There were 737 new or returning advertisers to TV for the year, accounting for 2 percent of total TV ad revenues. TV advertising prices for the year were also the cheapest on record, some 38.5 percent less expensive than 20 years ago.

Commercial impacts (the number of TV ads watched at normal speed) during 2013 were up 1.6 percent on 2012, and have grown by 10.4 percent over the last five years. The average viewer watched 47 ads a day. This is four ads more a day than five years ago. Collectively, the U.K. watched an average of 2.8 billion ads a day in the first half of the year.

Lindsey Clay, Thinkbox’s chief executive, commented: “Businesses know that TV works. The strength of TV ad investment reflects commercial TV’s health and also acknowledges the mountain of evidence proving TV’s unrivalled ability to create business profit.”