TV ad spend to hit $24 million in 2027

MANILA, Philippines — A London-based multinational advertising company expects advertising spend on Philippine TV to reach close to $24 million in 2027 and plans to capture this growing market by launching a service that allows firms to target viewers with specific materials.

Communications giant WPP yesterday announced that its media arm GroupM introduced in the Philippines its first-to-market addressable TV service, Finecast.

Based on estimates, GroupM Philippines chief investment officer Yasmin Mallari said ad spend on connected TV in the Philippine market may climb to $23.9 million in 2027.

With this, Mallari said GroupM decided to launch Finecast in the Philippines to provide a single point of access for advertisers.

Finecast enables firms to manage the distribution of promotions to broadcasters, giving them the opportunity to target just certain markets.

Mallari said such targeting is needed in a country where some 22 million households own a TV, the third largest in Southeast Asia. Likewise, Filipino viewers are changing their watching habits with the emergence of streaming platforms like Netflix.

“This also has an impact on the evolving consumer behavior in tandem with the diversification of devices, content, and channels, making it increasingly challenging for brands to plan and target audiences on TV,” Mallari said.

GroupM CEO for the Philippines and Singapore Puneet Arora said the firm would work with various channels in the country to help advertisers identify the right audience for their materials.

“Through Finecast, we have partnered with the Philippines’ top content providers, broadcasters, platforms and data providers to build this market that will inevitably add more value to GroupM’s clients in the country,” Arora said.

According to Arora, Finecast has forged partnerships with data providers worldwide that feed it with audience segmentation based on socioeconomic standing, life stage and financial behavior. In turn, brands can make ads geared toward the market they want to hit.

Finecast global CEO Nicola Lewis said advertisers should understand that the TV landscape is shifting with the introduction of new platforms. However, they can adjust to these changes for as long as they maximize tools and capabilities made for innovating viewing experience.

As a solution, Finecast provides advertisers with the ability to air their materials across multiple broadcasters, connected devices, over-the-top providers and even game consoles.

WPP, the parent of GroupM, is one of the largest communication firms in the world, as it owns advertising agencies like Ogilvy, VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson.