Newsbrand Ad Spend On The Increase For 2021

Newsbrand ad spend is predicted to increase in 2021, most notably with regional news brands and online news, an expenditure report from the Advertising Association/WARC has said.

Regional news brands are predicted to perform well year-on-year, with a strong growth in their online platforms. Nationals are also set to grow 11.5% in 2021; in the second quarter of next year they are predicted to increase by 46.8% and 23.6% online.

In September, ABC figures showed the majority of news brands saw their circulations rise period-on-period, with the Guardian and Daily Mail faring the best year-on-year. The Comscore data also showed a 14% uplift in unique users since the beginning of the year, an increase of just under six million unduplicated readers.

Digital news is also forecast to see more growth than predicted in July, with almost a 4 percentage point improvement.

 Stephen Woodford, Chief Executive, Advertising Association commented on the report:

“These stark figures demonstrate the strain that all parts of the advertising ecosystem were under during the second quarter. Large parts of our industry and the wider economy were effectively shut down.

“Events of recent weeks have shown this will be no straight-forward recovery as different parts of our country enter or leave local conditions at varying speeds. We must boost growth and support jobs through an advertising tax credit and a skills programme to aid colleagues facing unemployment.

“It is essential that our workforce, business, and Government work together on the recovery plan for our industry and our country.”