Publicis Groupe's ZenithOptimedia has trimmed its 2005 and 2006 global ad spending projections as TV adspend continues to fall and expenditures for online ads continue to rise, reports AdWeek. Worldwide ad expenditures will increase 4.7 percent to approximately $404 billion in 2005, compared with the earlier projected increase of 5.4 percent, according to Zenith. Global internet adspend will increase 8 percent to $16.4 billion in 2005, Zenith projects; that's a $1.2 billion increase over its earlier estimate and comes at the expense of TV expenditures, which have leveled off at about 38 percent.

In 2006, Zenith now says global spending will climb about 6 percent to $428.4 billion, down slightly from the previously projected rise of 6.5 percent. It has trimmed $2.3 million from its initial 2005 global TV projection, including $1 billion cutbacks in both the U.S. and Japan. It has also cut $230 million from its U.K. TV projection.

Last month, Interpublic Group's Universal McCann reduced its global adspend projection to 5.8 percent from the 6.1 percent growth forecast in December.