Nielsen: U.S. Ad Spending Plummets $3.8 Billion

Ad spending in the US media tracked by the Nielsen Co. declined 12% during the first quarter of 2009, as compared with the same quarter in 2008. Preliminary figures show that the decline amounts to a drop of $3.8 billion in total US ad spending, Nielsen said. All of the media measured declined, but Spanish- and English-language cable TV fared the best. Hispanic cable networks declined 1.1%, while general market cable networks fell 2.7%, followed by Internet display advertising, which declined 3.4%. Broadcast network TV also appears to be performing relatively well, as the major broadcast networks head into their upfront negotiations for the 2009-10 season. Network TV ad spending fell 4.8% during the quarter, only a third of the rate of erosion of the overall advertising marketplace. Sunday newspaper supplements -- down 37.7% -- experienced the greatest erosion of any major U.S. ad medium, followed by B-to-B magazines (-29.9%), spot TV (-28.9%) and national newspapers (-27.7%).