CAB: Cable Ad Spending Grows to $18.7B in '09

In down market, nets see spot take rise 1.8%

By MCN Staff -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/8/2009 3:21:04 PM

The Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau said Tuesday that it expects year-over-year ad-sales growth for national cable networks in 2009 to rise 1.8% from 2008, to some $18.7 billion in total.

The cable-advertising group said that figure would be some $330 million more than 2008's total of $18.4 billion in overall cable ad-sales. In a release, the CAB also called the uptick "significant in an environment of across-the-board ad-sales declines among all other major U.S. media."

According to CAB, the overall ad sector saw double-digit declines of 13% to 15% year over year.

"As 2009 ad budgets were under intense scrutiny, we did a lot of work with agencies and advertisers on cable's gains in original programming, ratings and reach analysis and multiscreen insights," CAB CEO Sean Cunnigham said in a statement. "So having cable's branded networks counted on even more heavily by 2009 national advertisers was extremely gratifying."
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