Broadcast advertising fell further behind in South Korea’s ad market as online tightened its grip. Broadcast ad spending in 2024 fell 5.0 percent from a year earlier to 3.22 trillion won, while online ad spending rose 7.9 percent to 10.10 trillion won, topping 10 trillion won for the first time.

According to the Broadcast Media Communication Commission’s “2025 Survey on Broadcast and Telecommunications Advertising Spending” released on Jan. 8, total broadcast and telecommunications ad spending in 2024 rose 3.5 percent to 17.13 trillion won, but most growth was driven by online.

Broadcast advertising fell across most media, including terrestrial TV, pay TV and IPTV. Terrestrial TV ad spending fell 7.2 percent from a year earlier, pay TV fell 3.8 percent and IPTV fell 12.3 percent. Total broadcast ad spending is forecast to fall again by 13.8 percent in 2025 to 2.77 trillion won. The structural decline is becoming entrenched.

Online advertising expanded, led by mobile. Mobile ad spending in 2024 rose 6.9 percent to 7.79 trillion won and PC advertising rose 11.3 percent. Online ad spending is expected to expand to 10.72 trillion won in 2025. Online already accounts for 59 percent of the total ad market, far outstripping broadcast, newspapers and outdoor media.

Newspaper and magazine ad spending fell 1.9 percent to 1.99 trillion won, while outdoor advertising rose 3.1 percent to 1.26 trillion won.

In an awareness survey on OTT advertising among 153 advertisers, “target reach accuracy” at 53.4 percent was the most important factor in choosing where to advertise. Half of companies with experience in OTT advertising cited Netflix and Tving as platforms they used, and 65 percent said they would prefer Netflix in 2026.