SATELLITE & CABLE: CNN regionalisation move boosts ad sales

CNN International is projecting 40 per cent growth in advertising revenue since the roll out of its regionalisation plans in 1997. Regional cable and satellite television has witnessed phenomenal growth in advertising share over the past five years, generating US$1.531 billion in revenue this year, according to a Zenith/Tiap media report. Singapore (1,250 per cent), China (915.6 per cent) and the Philippines (700 per cent) were among the markets experiencing the biggest growth in cable and satellite television adspend since 1995. CNNI is now turning into a profitable operation, in terms of both regional and global advertising sales, said CNNI vice-president of advertising sales Dave Dickman. Advertisers no longer use regional television just for thematic corporate campaigns, but also for specific product and brand promotion, he said. Increasingly tactical use of regional TV has demonstrated the maturity of the medium itself, as advertisers see the dynamic value of this communication platform. Most of the advertisers on board with CNNI in Asia are multinationals, who are on the look-out for regional as well as global advertising opportunities. Distributed to 26 million households in 29 countries and territories across Asia, CNNI capitalises on the network's worldwide sales force to serve Asia. Corporate, travel, computers, airlines and the Internet were among the key categories driving the growth of advertising revenue in the past few years. The rise of the Internet would not be a threat to regional television, but rather a complement to traditional media, leveraging on the opportunities that such multi-communication outlets offered to marketers. Capitalising on group resources from Time Warner, CNNI was taking on integrated sales efforts with affiliate media, to offer advertisers a variety of marketing opportunities. Whenever it is appropriate to the clients, Mr Dickman said the channel was keen to offer a "total solution package", integrating marketing efforts on the air, ground, online and print platforms. CNN has developed localised websites in different languages, and these have attracted more than 640 million page impressions per month on average this year, and more than 6.7 billion last year. Localised websites serve as a supplement for regional advertising sales efforts in terms of serving domestic clients targeting local markets, according to Mr Dickman.

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