TV Ads Are Dying

After some promising advertising results this year, expect

TV advertising to sink back into a decline in 2019 -- as

digital advertising continues to soar.

MoffettNathanson Research says total TV advertising will

drop 4.3% in 2019 -- all due to lower comparisons against

the Winter Olympics and U.S. midterm elections this year.

Overall, U.S. advertising will grow 5% in 2019 versus a

8.2% hike this year. Much of this continued growth is

coming from digital advertising. Next year's estimates

forecast that digital advertising will sustain its strong

gains -- up 18.3%, somewhat on par with a 21.9% boost

for 2018.

Looking at specific TV businesses:

Local TV stations will sink 7.2% in 2019 (versus a 9.1%

climb estimate for all of 2018), while the big four broadcast

networks will be down 3.5% (up 6.0% for 2018); national

cable networks will be off 3% (from a 2% improvement this

year) and local cable will be down 4.1% (with a 3.8% gain

this year), while national TV syndication will slip 1% (versus

the same decline this year).