Ad spending on broadcast TV actually fell in the first half of 2011 compared with 2010, though ad spending on cable TV, syndication and the Internet surged over the same time period, according to well-respected Kantar Media.

Says the report: "Within the television sector, expenditures on cable networks increased 11.8 percent during the first half of the year while network TV spending fell 7.6 percent. One factor shaping these results was the shift of BCS college football bowl games and NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament programming from broadcast networks to cable, producing a large, one-time transfer of ad dollars. Supplementing this was a reallocation of TV budgets from network to cable within the prescription drug, financial service and consumer package goods categories.

"Syndication TV expenditures surged 18.5 percent, reflecting more hours of monitored programming and larger budgets from auto insurers and consumer package goods marketers. Spanish language TV had a 1.7 percent increase in first-half spending as declines from bellwether telecom advertisers were offset by expanded budgets from a few financial service providers.

"Outlays on Spot TV fell by 0.9 percent, reflecting weakness from the telecom category and a slowdown in Q2 spending by auto manufacturers."

Outdoor media surged the same amount as cable TV: 11.8%.

Overall, according to the Kantar report, "Total advertising expenditures in the first six months of 2011 increased 3.2 percent from a year ago and finished the period at $71.5 billion, according to data released today by Kantar Media, the leading provider of strategic advertising and marketing information. Spending growth eased slightly during the second quarter and was up 2.8 percent compared to last year."

Interestingly, the report notes, "Internet media accounted for more than one-half of the dollar gain in total ad expenditures during the first six months of the year. Display spending jumped 12.9 percent and search investments rose 8.6 percent as each benefited from a surge of money from the travel, local service and insurance categories."

Here’s a chart on the top ten TV advertisers:

Top Ten Television Advertisers¹Of Jan-June 2011

Source: Kantar Media

1Figures do not include PSA activity

2 The sum of the individual companies can differ from the total shown due to rounding