National TV advertising sales witnessed a strong October — nearly 10% higher versus the same month the year before, with sports and political programming a major factor.
The broadcast networks’ spend grew 6.3%, while cable climbed 12.9% — a total TV advertising improvement of 9.8%, according to Standard Media Index.
Fox was a big gainer — up 32% — largely due to a full and dramatic seven-game World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians. Cable networks were fueled by big advertising gains driven by strong interest in the political election season, with CNN 60% higher and Fox News Channel 35% higher.
