US President Donald Trump announced the introduction of large-scale tariffs and argued that these measures would help balance the global trading system and enrich America. But in Hollywood, the mood seems to be completely different. The media industry does not rely on importing physical goods, but its main advertisers work in industries affected by tariffs. The ad market is already beginning to feel negative consequences of these changes, a Hollywood reporter wrote, Unn.
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In the coming weeks, as shown, the studio will begin preliminary negotiations with media buyers – billions of dollars are at stake – as major advertising buyers review their budgets amid global economic uncertainty.
Brands in the automotive sector, consumer goods sector, and food and beverage segments are reviewing costs due to uncertainty caused by tariffs. Additionally, it could affect hotel business and air transport as it could reduce the flow of tourists from Canada and Europe.
“This is a truly complete storm of bad news,” says a media industry representative. Prices are currently stable, but he added that the outlook for the rest of the year appears to be unoptimistic.
In recent weeks, analysts have lowered their advertising market growth forecasts in 2025. Brian Wieser adjusted the numbers to 3.6% (from 4.5% in December) and analytics company Magna to 4.3% (from 4.9%). Yes, they expect their advertising business to grow, which means a sharp decline since 2024, and while in fact, all this growth will be provided by technology giants like Google and Meta, traditional media could face stagnation.
Even the tech giants are not affected by the recession. Analyst Michael Nathanson predicts that even YouTube could lose growth momentum as the increased impression of the broader CTV ecosystem could put pressure on ad prices.
At the same time, sports broadcasting remains a stable segment. The demand for advertising in sports programs remains high.
Despite all these challenges, players from major industry bet on sports content. However, advertising budgets are the first to be cut in times of crisis, and traditional media may feel the most.
Trump’s tariffs hit Europe and China more violently than expected – Analysts03.04.25, 14:33•8010 views
