Broadcast TV Sinks 23% in Q3; Syndication Fares Best

Broadcast TV ad revenues sank 22.6%, to $8.8 billion, in the third quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2008, with local broadcast falling a steep 28.1%, to $3.1 billion.

Network TV was down 21.5%, to $4.7 billion. Syndicated TV fared best, down just 7.2%, according to a Television Bureau of Advertising analysis of estimates from TNS Media Intelligence.

For the year-to-date, network TV was down 10.7%, local broadcast was down 27.4%, and syndicated TV was down 2.8%, for a total broadcast TV loss of 15.7% for the first nine months of the year.

22 of the top 25 advertising categories were down in Q3, including, in descending order from the No. 1 category to the No. 9 category:

• Automotive, down 49.8%
• Communications/telecommunications, down 22.3%
• Restaurants, down 14.8%
• Car & truck dealers, down 32.6%
• Furniture stores, down 19.8%
• Insurance, down 21%
• Schools, colleges & camps, down 11%
• Food and food products, down 7%
• Financial, down 26.3%

Legal services was the only one of the top 10 categories to see gains, up 3.3%.

Of the top 25 individual advertisers, 23 were down in the third quarter. From No. 1 through No. 10:

• Verizon Communications was down 28.2%
• Ford Motor Co Dealers Association, down 32.2%
• AT&T, down 30%
• General Mills, down 23.3%
• Toyota Motor Corp Dealers Association, down 36.7%
• Yum Brands, down 22.9%
• Honda Motor Company, down 45.6%
• Comcast, down 30.7%
• Chrysler Cerberus, down 57.1%
• General Motors was down 54.9%