Covid-19 Impacts on Top DTC Television Advertisers

San Diego. May 21, 2020. DRMetrix, the direct-to-consumer television industry’s leading research company, has released a new research paper showing the impact that Covid-19 has had on last year’s top 50 DTC TV advertisers. “Over the past five years, online and mobile-based companies have increased their TV expenditures an average of 26% each year exceeding 7 billion on national networks in 2019. During the national quarantine, however, the top 50 prior year DTC advertisers have collectively reduced their TV expenditures by 33.8% over the prior year period”, says Joseph Gray, CEO of DRMetrix. DRMetrix’s research shows that not all DTC advertisers have pulled back. In fact, some have taken full advantage of higher TV viewership levels, buying more ads than ever before!

For some, it makes sense to buy during a time when rates are significantly discounted while viewership levels are at record heights. They are not alone, other direct-to-consumer sectors have dramatically increased TV buys. For example, AS SEEN ON TV product campaigns have increased their ad frequency by as much as 135% since the start of the quarantine period. This is especially impressive considering AS SEEN ON TV ad expenditures were down over 26% in 2019.

DRMetrix’s new research paper provides insights into why some advertisers are measuring success and increasing their buys while others are pulling back. A full list of the top 50 DTC advertisers for 2019 is provided along with advertising expenditures for pre-quarantine and quarantine periods compared to the prior year. The full research paper can be downloaded by clicking here or visiting www.drmetrix.com.

About DRMetrix
DRMetrix was founded by industry veteran Joseph Gray who has been in the direct-to-consumer television industry for 30+ years. DRMetrix monitors over 130 national TV networks 24/7/365 using state-of-the-art automated content recognition software. Direct-to-consumer ads for all creative lengths are tracked including spot, 5-min, and long-form which include web addresses, mobile app response, SMS, or toll free numbers. DRMetrix works with leading agencies such as Horizon Next, Havas Edge, Group M, ID Media, Ocean Media, as well as leading television networks such as A&E, AMC, GSN, INSP, and Hallmark Channels. For more information, please visit www.drmetrix.com and be sure and download our latest direct-to-consumer industry study.

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