Linear ratings fell again last season, but broadcast and cable networks saw the same amount of total national linear TV ad revenue—$45.5 billion—as in the 2016-17 season, according to new data from Standard Media Index.
The new 2017-18 season data, which spanned October 2017 to September 2018, found that national TV ad revenue was flat, excluding the Winter Olympics and World Cup.
According to SMI, which tracks 70 percent of national ad spending from global and independent agencies, cable TV ad revenue grew 3 percent year over year, while broadcast fell 4 percent.
And while both NBCUniversal and Fox have taken steps to reduce ad loads starting this fall, the SMI data found that ad loads actually increased 4 percent last season—a 3 percent jump in cable and a hefty 8 percent jump in broadcast.
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