• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, March 2, 2020

The expansion of Canada’s ad economy has begun a deceleration that will last through 2022, according to just-released estimates from GroupM’s Business Intelligence unit.

“Canada’s advertising forecast aligns with global trend of deceleration,” GroupM Business Intelligence Global President Brian Wieser writes in the report, noting that the major media (internet, TV, magazines, newspapers, radio and outdoor) will expand about 3.9% this year, down 1.1 percentage points from 2019.

Wieser cautioned that the impact of the Coronavirus is a “significant wildcard with potential to impact consumption of finished goods and supply chains around the world,” but that GroupM’s current expectations “presume relatively stable macro-economic conditions looking toward the rest of the year.”

Long-term, Wieser projected Canada’s advertising economy will expand to $19 billion in 2024, making it the ninth largest advertising market in the world.