After a 2010 which saw broadcast ad revenue rebound, 2011 was not as kind to the networks, according to a report from AdAge.
With the exeception of Fox -- who aired Super Bowl XLV in Feb. 2011 -- ad revenue decreased for CBS, NBC, ABC and The CW, according to data from Kantar. Fox's ad revenue in 2011 rose to nearly $5.17 billion, up 15% from 2010, the report states. Earlier in the week, Kantar said that overall revenue was down 2%, even as third and fourth quarters were strong with expensive series like X Factor and a World Series that went the full seven games (both air on Fox).
CBS Corp.'s CBS, which generated the most revenue among the networks, saw a decline of about 3.3%, Kantar said, to around $6.26 billion, according to the report. Walt Disney Co.'s ABC 2011 revenue fell about 3.9%, to about $4.92 billion, the report said. NBCUniversal's NBC saw ad revenue fall about 12.9%, to about $4.2 billion. the story said. The CW network, jointly owned by CBS and Time Warner, posted an ad-revenue decline of about 11.6%, to about $542.3 million, according to the report.
While English-language networks struggled, the same could not be said for the Spanish-language broadcast nets. According to the report, Kantar data said that Univision's ad revenue rose 16.7% to about $2.18 billion, while NBCU's Telemundo saw ad revenue rise about 2.8%, to about $915.4.
