Advertising spending in the United Kingdom (UK) 2012-2027

Based on the latest projections, advertising spending in the United Kingdom is set to reach 39.4 billion British pounds in 2022. The source further estimated that the spending would surpass 48 billion pounds by 2027.

Post-covid recovery

The UK is one of the world’s leading advertising markets, but even so, the region’s ad industry has experienced major disruptions following the onset of the pandemic. Revenue growth slowed for the first time in many years as many companies scaled down their budgets and reduced advertising activities amid the uncertainties of the time. This weariness subsided as early as 2021 when the industry made a full financial recovery – an upward trend that was also mirrored on a global scale. Between 2020 and 2021, global ad revenue jumped from 621 to over 772 billion U.S. dollars and visibly surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

Let’s get digital

Advertisers across the UK no longer place all their bets on traditional media formats as consumers gradually turn to digital channels for information, communication, and entertainment. The internet has long overtaken television as the leading advertising medium in the UK, and based on the latest data, digital ad spending reached an all-time high of around 28 billion British pounds in 2021. Television and video, for example, drew less than five billion that year. And even though there has been an uplift in spending on TV commercials in 2021, other legacy media such as print newspapers and magazines continue to attract smaller investments and brand interest each year.