Local television showed a 23.5% revenue gain in 2010, according to a TVB analysis of Kantar Media data, easily the tops in television. Automotive, largely absent in the 2009 doldrums, roared back last year to pace station revenue to big increases.
Broadcast network TV posted a 5.7% advertising increase, syndicated TV was down 2.8%, and cable TV was up 10%. Those added up to a 10.2% gain for all of television.
All of the top 10 advertising categories on the local broadcast TV side (including both local and national spot activity) posted gains during 2010. Tops was automotive, up 53.7% compared to the same period in 2009. Next was communications/telecommunications, up 14.7%, while No. 3 was restaurants at 8.1.
Political, meanwhile, was up 598.8% in last year's election year.
