Commercial advertising income of TV, radio broadcasters down 17.5% in Q2 2022

Commercial advertising income of the Georgian television and radio broadcasters equalled ₾19 million ($7mln) in the second quarter of 2022, a ₾4.1 million ($1.5mln) decrease compared to the same period of last year and a 17.5 percent reduction year-on-year, the Communications Commission announced on Tuesday.

Naming the recent ban of gambling ads as the main reason for the reduction in income, the regulatory body responsible for broadcasting and electronic communication noted the gambling companies had been the “major financiers” of the broadcasters.

• Georgian broadcasters' commercial advertising revenue up 10.6% in Q1

The Georgian Parliament approved new legislative regulations for online gambling businesses at the end of last year, which included a ban of gambling advertisements on TV channels, Georgian websites, as well as outdoors advertising spaces, with the law coming into force in March. 

• Georgian TV stations receive 79.8 mln GEL commercial advertising revenue in 2021

The regulatory body also noted commercial advertising revenues of TV stations had amounted to ₾17.5 million ($6.4mln), of which 66.1 percent was direct advertising and 22.1 percent the share of sponsorship, which had increased by 10.2 percent compared to the same period of last year.

The top TV companies by commercial advertising revenue in the second quarter of 2022 were:

• Imedi TV - ₾6 million ($2.2mln) (-₾900,000 y/y)
• Mtavari Arkhi - ₾2.6 million ($959,462) (-₾600,000 y/y)
• Media Holding (former Rustavi 2) - ₾2.1 million ($774,950) (-₾400,000 y/y)
• Formula - ₾1.8 million ($664,243) (same as last year)
• TV Pirveli - ₾1.4 million ($516,633) (-₾300,000 y/y)
• Post TV - ₾1 million ($369,024) (-₾200,000 y/y)
• Public Broadcaster - ₾800,000 ($295,150) (-₾100,000 y/y)
• GDS TV - ₾400,000 ($147,575) (-₾200,000 y/y)
• Silknet - ₾200,000 ($73,787) (-₾700,000 y/y)
• Obiektivi - ₾100,000 ($36,896) (same as last year)
• Other - ₾1.1 million ($405,866) 

As for radio broadcasters, in the second quarter of 2022 their total advertising income - including commercial advertising, sponsorship, product placement, teleshopping, and classifieds - amounted to ₾1.6 million ($590,438), a ₾200,000 ($73,804) decrease year-on-year.