Major TV news networks dramatically reduced paid-advertising airings and total paid-ad minutes over the last seven days, due to pressing news coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Looking at the Fox News Channel, MSNBC, and CNN, total paid advertising minutes were down an estimated 17% to 5,501 minutes for the period from February 24 through March 2 versus the week before, according toTV measurement company iSpot.tv.

Similarly, airings of commercials of any length were down an estimated 23% to 11,015. 

Fox News Channel tallied the biggest decline -- down 31% in minutes (1,506) with 33% few airings (to 2,567). MSNBC dropped 24% in ad airings (3,453) and had 11% less total advertising minutes (1,765).

CNN had less ad pullback than Fox News or MSNBC -- with 17% fewer airings (4,995) than the previous week, and 9% less total advertising time (2,230 minutes).

Also of note, the number of weekly views of YouTube videos for U.S and U.K. news media creators doubled in the most recently available week (February 21-27), 1.6 billion versus the week before 828 million, according to Tubular Labs.

The first seven weeks of 2022 have averaged an estimated 741 million YouTube views per week of news creators’ content. From February 23 through March 3, the top 49 of 50 YouTube videos were related to Russia and Ukraine.