The TV advertising market in the Netherlands reached €171 million in the third quarter of 2020, a growth of 0.7% compared to the same period last year. The spot market (i.e. normal in-programme ads, not sponsorship) amounted to €153 million, an increase of 1.5%. After a dramatic first half, where the TV ad market fell 23%, advertisers are returning en masse to TV in the third quarter and expectations are positive about the remainder of the year.
TV spot market is recovering rapidly, especially through Broadcaster VOD (BVOD).
Screenforce is publishing about concerns linear TV spot spending – the largest part of the TV advertising market – which has recovered well after the intense first half of 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Spot sales in the third quarter show a slight decrease of 0.7% compared to the same period last year, bringing net sales to €144.5 million.
Investment in the BVOD spot market has shown a significant increase in the third quarter of this year, and with a spending level of €8.9 million, the BVOD spot market has grown by 59%, making Q3 the highest performing quarter of 2020. These are both campaigns on the broadcasters’ own platforms and their YouTube channels. The non-spot market (e.g. branded content and sponsorships) has not yet shown any increase in the third quarter and amounts to €18 million, a decrease of 5.3%.
Outlook for 4th quarter is positive.
Based on the industry’s demand for airtime, the Dutch sales houses are positive about Q4. The impact of the recently announced additional ‘partial lockdown’ measures has yet to be seen. However, many advertisers have already adapted their marketing plans to the new reality over time. Where some categories communicate significantly less to nothing at all, others are more present than ever before. This applies to both the ‘clicks’ and ‘bricks’ sectors, and as we’ve seen the latter has already started their autumn offensive on the way to the holidays.
All Response Media viewpoint.
Obviously, in (COVID) times like these, it is hard to predict what is going to happen in the next months or even weeks. We see countries ‘locking down’ again (UK, France, Germany, Italy) or for the first time (Sweden) and some countries like the Netherlands locking down just partially, for now. So, in the winter season when viewership is usually high and costs are low (especially in January), it is likely going to be busy in the commercial breaks, especially considering quite a few advertisers will still have some deferred budgets to spend just before the end of their calendar or fiscal year. Therefore, we would recommend securing your quality airtime in time and not wait until the last moment.
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