MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
24 April 2012
TV Revenue up, Again, for March Quarter
Television advertising revenue continued to rise in the first quarter of 2012, demonstrating advertisers’ increasing
confidence in television as a central part of their advertising campaigns.
Data* released today by industry body ThinkTV shows total television advertising revenue for the March quarter rose 3.7% to
$125.2m, up $4.4m on the first quarter of 2011. The increase marks four consecutive quarters of year-on-year growth.
“The rise demonstrates the increasing confidence advertisers have in television,” says Rick Friesen, chief executive,
ThinkTV. “Advertisers are becoming increasingly innovative in how they use television to underpin campaigns, especially
in how they link the TV campaign with the growing number of digital media channels to drive consumers from couch to
point-of-sale.”
Data released last month by the Advertising Standards Authority shows television is now New Zealand’s largest medium by
ad revenue. Advertisers spent $618 million on television airtime in 2011, compared with $607m in 2010. Newspapers fell
to second place with revenue of $582 million, down from $627m.
Driving advertiser confidence in television is New Zealanders’ growing love of the box. According to TV rating agency
Nielsen, New Zealanders spent more time than ever watching in 2011. Over three million people now watch television every
day, with each person watching on average three hours and 22 minutes a day.
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* Revenue figures are sourced from returns prepared by TVNZ, MediaWorks TV and SKY Network Television
(including Prime).