eMarketer Releases New Global Media Ad Spending Estimates

Total media ad spending worldwide will rise 7.4% to $628.63 billion in 2018, according to eMarketer's latest report, "Global Ad Spending: The eMarketer Forecast for 2018."

Digital media will account for 43.5% of investments, thanks to rising global ecommerce spending and shifting viewership from traditional TV to digital channels. By 2020, digital’s share of total advertising will near 50%.

Asia-Pacific and North America will account for 70.5% of the $628.63 billion global ad spend this year. Healthy consumer spending in those regions, along with the FIFA World Cup, will spur worldwide ad growth of 7.4% in 2018.

Global media spending will grow steadily at more than 5.0% per year through 2022. Despite political and economic concerns in several markets, increasing digital ad business will sustain overall advertising gains.

North America will remain the top advertising market in 2018 at $232.48 billion and a 37.0% share of worldwide total media. Asia-Pacific will place second in regional media spend with $210.43 billion and one-third of global ad business.

We had previously forecast Asia-Pacific to surpass North America in ad spend by 2019. That will not happen due to a combination of stronger-than-expected 2017 growth in North America and currency depreciation against the US dollar. But the trend is inexorable, and we now expect Asia-Pacific to become the leading ad spend market in 2022.