• by Wayne Friedman , October 22, 2013

Worldwide TV advertising spending grew modestly -- low-single-digit percentage gains -- in the first half of 2013, while Internet advertising continued to rocket higher with big double-digit percent hikes.

Nielsen says TV grew 4.2%, now at a 57.6% market share for the first six months of the year. The second-largest media in terms of advertising spending -- newspapers -- sank 2%, now at a 18.9% share. Magazines gave back about the same amount -- 1.9% -- now with 10% share of all media spending.

The next-biggest media -- radio, with 5.4% global ad share -- drifted 0.9% lower.

Internet advertising was again the star of worldwide advertising spending -- climbing 26.6% during the period. Asia-Pacific and Latin American countries continue to fuel its growth -- rising 43% and 38.5%, respectively.

While Internet advertising overall continued to shine, only outdoor advertising -- with a 3.5% share -- grew in all regions during the first half of year -- up 5%.

Randall Beard, global head, Advertiser Solutions for Nielsen, stated: “It’s clear that advertisers are wisely maximizing their opportunities to reach consumers across platforms with TV ad dollars showing no signs of slowing and noteworthy increases in Internet ad spend.”