US television networks have suffered a wave of advertising cancellations following the outbreak of conflict in Iraq as war threatens to derail a tentative recovery in the world's largest media market. Already a number of big brand owners have announced plans to pull campaigns in the run-up to the opening of hostilities.
MasterCard asked all media outlets to keep its advertising off air for a week after the first shots were fired.
Consumer goods group Procter & Gamble, the second biggest advertiser in the US, said it will not advertise in any American war coverage slots and will only return when "normal, family and entertainment programming resumes".
The Sheraton hotel group has postponed the start of new campaigns for between two weeks and three months. Toyota said it would shelve advertising on the US networks, such as ABC and NBC, and telecoms group AT&T said it would hit a "pause" in the event of war.
American Express is inserting "war contingency clauses" into its media buying contracts.
Joe Mandese, editor of US publication Media Markets Daily, estimated that six days of commercial-free coverage at national and local networks could displace $684m (£437m) worth of advertisements.
News networks such as CNN and Fox News are planning to broadcast for three or four days without commercials. The networks went live to Baghdad as soon as the conflict had apparently begun on Wednesday night.
Contingency plans such as shifting the big NCAA basketball tournament from CBS to ESPN have been put in place, and other big ratings events such as the American Idol finals could be delayed.
September 11 2001, which cost the American media industry an estimated $300m, is still fresh in the minds of both advertisers and media owners.
Blanket news coverage and public sensitivity to the unfolding events led to many commercials being canned.
For the latest war, advertisers have had longer to consider their reaction and the resulting revenue drop could be longer and worse for the networks.
