SMI January: Metro TV, regional radio and retail outdoor reporting increases

SMI has reported market demand is back 8.2% at $425.3 million for January, but that’s mostly due to an abnormally high level of late digital bookings due to be included at month end.

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The metropolitan TV, regional radio and retail outdoor sectors are delivering above-average gains this month with metropolitan TV growing agency spend 5.1% to report its best January result in three years.

Regional radio remains one of the best-performing media sectors in the past year (total agency bookings are up 11% on a cumulative month basis) and the growth in retail outdoor (+17.7% YOY) has ensured the broader outdoor media has also reported a record level of January agency bookings.

From a product categories perspective, SMI reported the continuing demand from government advertisers (two state elections are now on the horizon helping push the total +13.8% to $14.6 million) while a number of major sporting events (Ashes, Australian Open, Big Bash) saw gambling ad spend grow 29% to $13 million.

On the negative side, SMI continued to report diminishing ad demand from the retail market (-15.5% in January) and there was also an unexpected decline in travel bookings (-18% YOY).

In the first seven months of this financial year, the market is showing growth of 1.3% to a record level of $4.2 billion. TV bookings are up 0.5%, digital up 8.6%, outdoor up 6.1%, radio up 3.9% and cinema up 9.2%.