Global adspend down $63bn this year, 2021 recovery limited

James McDonald

An overview of forecast global advertising investment by media in 2020 and 2021.

Global advertising spend is expected to fall by 10.2% – $63.4bn – to $557.3bn this year, according to the latest WARC Data forecasts based on data from 100 markets worldwide.

This means it will take at least two years for the global ad market to fully recover – an expected 6.7% rise in 2021 will only recoup 59% of 2020's losses.

2020 will also be the worst year on record for traditional media in WARC's 40-year history of market monitoring. Advertising investment in cinema (-46.5%) and out-of-home (-27.3%) will see the steepest declines, with linear TV recording the...

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