TV revenues dropped in Q1

No surprise, since there were no Winter Olympics this year, nor federal elections. The Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) reports that station revenues were down 3%, syndicated TV 5.9% and network TV 6.5%. All in all, the industry was down 5.3% to 11.75 billion for the quarter, according to data gathered for TVB by TNS Media Intelligence/CMR.

Among local broadcast television's top 10 advertising categories, the picture was mixed. The biggest category of all, Automotive, was down 8.9%. Restaurants, Telecommunications, Financial and Schools/Colleges/Camps were up. Car & Truck Dealers, Furniture Stores, Insurance/Real Estate, Leisure Time Activities/Events and Government & Organizations (which includes political) were down.