Media spending is predicted to grow 4.2% to 85.7 billion baht in 2023, slower than the 8.1% surge forecast for 2022, because of the projection for economic turbulence next year, says Media Intelligence Group (MI), a media planning and creative agency.
Less than 200 million baht was spent on advertising during the 2022 World Cup, which concluded on Sunday, a sharp reduction from around 500 million baht for previous large sports tournaments before the pandemic.
MI attributed the decline in media spending during the World Cup to a delay in the broadcasting plan by relevant parties and unclear details of the broadcast conditions, including ad packages and broadcasting channels.
The uncertainties lingered until shortly before the tournament kicked off, said MI.
Accordingly, media spending in the final quarter did not heat up as earlier expected.
"In 2022, media spending in Thailand is expected to rise 8.1% year-on-year to 82.3 billion baht, quite a strong rebound from 1.3% growth in 2021," said Pawat Rungdejworachai, chief executive of MI.
About 90% of the amount in 2022 went to three major media, comprising TV, online and out-of-home, he said.
In 2022, TV is expected to maintain the biggest share of ad spending with 45.8%, followed by the internet with 32.3% and out-of-home at 12.9%.
Next year, the proportion of ad spending on the internet is expected to climb to 33%, inching up on TV, which is predicted to have a 44.4% share. The share of out-of-home media is expected to continue to grow to 14.1% in 2023.
Regarding popular social media platforms in Thailand, Line is in the pole position with 50 million active users.
It is followed by Facebook with 44 million active users, though the platform has seen a decline in teen users, and YouTube tallies 38 million active users, with growth in the subscriber base for those aged 35-55.
Regarding ad spending on digital channels in 2022, the Digital Advertising Association of Thailand said Facebook and Instagram under Meta are expected to gain the biggest share at 33% with 8.6 billion baht, followed by YouTube at 15% (3.8 billion baht) and online streaming platforms at 10% (2.7 billion baht).
TikTok is projected to gain 840 million baht from ads in 2022, a surge of 132% from the year before.
E-commerce platforms are forecast to gain 250 million baht from ads, up 64% year-on-year.
Mr Pawat said TikTok has the highest growth among social networks, with the user base jumping 91% from 21.8 million in July 2020 to 41.8 million in July 2021.
He said MI issued its "2023 Handbook: Post-Pandemic Study" that analyses the media landscape, which can assist brands and marketers in preparing for the industry's changes.