According to iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company, from Jan. 1 through Dec. 6, 2020, there were 7.45 trillion ad impressions on TV screens, a 4.9% year-over-year increase. Here’s a quick look at the top impression-generating networks and programs for the year.
NFL and Friends Ruled the Year
The top 25 programs of 2020 generated nearly 985 billion TV ad impressions. And while NFL games remained on top, it was syndicated comedies and reality TV that drove a lot of impression increases during the year. Notably, Friends, despite ending in 2004, generated the second-most impressions of any show on TV in 2020 — and its 56.6 billion impressions represented a 39.02% year-over-year increase. Another notable player was HGTV’s Home Town, which had a whopping 575% year-over-year increase in impressions, securing it a place in the top 25 ranking with 27 billion impressions.
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CBS Led Networks, But Fox News Was Close Behind
In 2020, the top 25 networks generated nearly 3.39 trillion TV ad impressions for brands, with cable seeing large upticks in the wake of consumers being more confined to their homes. CBS took first place for TV ad impressions, but its 319.9 billion constituted a decrease of 6.98% from what the network generated in 2019. Fox News was close behind with 300.8 billion, a 27.24% year-over-year increase. The network with the biggest increase from 2019 to 2020 (47.67%) was CNN, which generated 193 billion impressions this year.
