Initiative Romania released an update of its Media Fact Book

Cristina Blanaru Business, Creativity, Studies

Initiative Romania estimates the local media market grew 7% in 2019 and will continue to grow, with an estimated 5.5% in 2020, according to the updated data of the Media Fact Book report.

Romanian media market is expected to reach €514M in 2020, after a €487M in 2019.

We expect, in the end of 2020, the media market to go over the €500M mark, for the 1st time after 2008, when a historical value was registered. The spendings follow the media consumer development in his transition on long term towards an environment digital-centric, on-demand, and the growth rate is tempered while Romania´s economy shows its rhythm, the media spendings being readjusted in consequence

 Alexandra Olteanu,

Managing Director Initiative 

In 2019, TV ad investments knew a positive development, reaching to 5% compared with 2018, until €315M. The biggest growth rate was posted by the digital market, reaching to €99.1M, up 17% compared to 2018. In the same time, it was a good year also for OOH market, that reaches to an estimate of €32.2M in 2019, 5% up compared to 2018. The radio market continued its ascending trend in 2019, with an increase estimated at 10%, to €28.3M.

For 2020, Initiative estimates extra growth for TV (+2.5%, to €323M), online (+16%, to €114.5M), radio (+8%, to €30.6M) and OOH (+5%, to €33.8M).

At global level, according to MAGNA (IPG MediaBrands) estimates, the net investments in advertising increased in 2019 by  5.2% and will go up by 5.7% in 2020, to $595BN. The global TV market was in a slight decrease (-4%) in 2019, of $173BN.

In 2019, online continues to dominate the global media market, reaching record quotas from the total market, up to 51.5%, with a value of $306BN. Social media has the fastest growth in online, of +25%, over the numbers generated by digital video (23%) or search (14%). Search remains the first in digital, being the format that attracted $144BN and 47% from the total online budgets.

OOH market posted significant growth at global level (+6.1%), reaching to record numbers ($37BN), due to digital OOH that posted a 20% increase.

Media Fact Book is the only analysis report of the Romanian media and advertising market, published annually by Initiative since 1997. The full study is accessible and downloadable digitally from www.mediafactbook.ro.