• by Fern Siegel , December 30, 2024

Sports and live events are expected to offer big returns for the ad market in 2025, reports CNBC. 

Even as ad dollars migrate to streaming and social, traditional TV remains a key media platform for advertisers in the sports arena. 

Natalie Bastian, global CMO at Teads, told the network that sports and live programming should retain similar media sports budgets in the new year (2024 included the Summer Olympics).

The uptick is reflected in a December report from GroupM, WPP's media arm. Global advertising will hit $1 trillion in total revenue for 2024, excluding U.S. political ads. It is forecast to grow 7.7% in 2025 to reach $1.1 trillion. Digital platforms will drive the ad momentum. TV is expected to grow nearly 2% in 2025 to $169 billion, per GroupM.

Amy Leifer, DirecTV Advertising’s chief ad sales officer, told CNBC her company anticipates more programmatic ad spending in streaming. “Despite the shift towards streaming, linear TV still holds a significant advantage in terms of ad impressions, generating six times more than streaming,” she said.

GroupM's findings: the two largest markets, the U.S. and China, are predicted to grow total ad revenue 9% to $400.2 billion and 13.5% to $204.5 billion, respectively. 

It also found pure-play digital advertising remains the strongest channel and is estimated to grow 12.4% globally in 2024 and make up 72.9% of total advertising in 2025.

Retail media continues to emerge as a rapidly expanding segment within digital advertising, estimated to reach $177.1 billion globally in 2025, surpassing total TV revenue, including streaming, for the first time.