• by Wayne Friedman , June 23, 2014

Winter Olympics ad spending helped push up overall U.S. advertising nearly 6% for the first quarter.

U.S. advertising revenue for the first three months of 2014 was $34.9 billion, with the Sochi games responsible for $600 million of incremental ad spend, according to Kantar Media. Taking out the two-week sporting event, U.S. ad spend climbed 4%.

Broadcast network TV was among the biggest gainers in the period -- up 14.5%. Spanish-language TV grew 18%; cable TV increased 6.2%; spot TV gained 7%; and national TV syndication added 3.2%. Overall, TV grew 9.7% in the first quarter of 2014 versus the first quarter of 2013.

Display Internet business was up 13% -- with financial, retail and insurance marketers aiding their budgets. Outdoor media inched up 2.8% and free-standing inserts (FSIs) added on 4.4%.

Newspapers, magazines, and radio lost ground overall -- giving back 5.0%, 1.6%, and 2.4%, respectively.

Big individual advertiser growth included General Motors, up 55.8% to $593.4 million; Fiat Spa, 38.8% higher to $340.9 million; Pfizer, 33.6% to $354.9 million; and Verizon Communications, 24.8% more to hit $370.8 million.

The biggest marketer, Procter & Gamble, was slightly down -- 2.6% to $773.8 million -- due to lower ad spending with its cosmetics and hair care brands.