The Dutch TV advertising market is shrinking, and this might be due to a decline in demand for gambling ads, according to research agency Screenforce.
In total, the spend on TV advertising in the Netherlands was around €426m for H1 of this year, which is 3% less than the previous corresponding period.
As per Screenforce data, commercial ads remain the largest segment of the whole TV advertising market, accounting for a total of €374m in the first half of this year – which is 4.1% less than H1 2023.
Last year, the Dutch Parliament introduced a ban on nearly all forms of gambling advertising, including mediums like radio, print and TV.
A gambling ad prohibition on online media channels is yet to be implemented, but the State Secretary for Legal Protection
Meanwhile, Screenforce also reported that ‘non-spot advertisements’ such as program sponsorship and product placement grew by 2% to €52m.
There now also appears to be more eyes directed towards the TV screen, with an average of 130 minutes of screentime between January and June. This represents a 1.5% decrease to 2023, however, numbers saw a 7% drop when comparing 2023 to 2022.
Commenting on the audience data, Michel van der Voort, Director of Screenforce, said: “Of course, the spending in the first half of this year disappoints us, and yet I am cautiously optimistic about the entire year. After this sports summer, we will be able to report a nice viewing time over the third quarter.”
