Uruguay

Uruguay Advertising Market: Ad Spend by Channel in 2020–2024

Uruguay is a compact but stable advertising market in Latin America. For companies, brands and agencies analyzing opportunities outside Europe, Uruguay advertising market data for 2020–2024 helps evaluate total ad spend, channel structure and the growing role of digital media.

In 2024, total advertising expenditure in Uruguay reached $428.1 million. TV remained the largest channel, accounting for 45% of the market, or $193.8 million. Digital advertising accounted for 26%, or $112.3 million. Radio represented 14%, outdoor advertising 9%, press 6%, and cinema less than 1% of total ad spend.

Advertising spending per person reached $126.4 in 2024, while the advertising market represented 0.53% of the country’s GDP. These indicators show that Uruguay has a formed but relatively small advertising market, where traditional media still play an important role and digital channels are steadily increasing their share.

Uruguay advertising spend dynamics

Total advertising expenditure in Uruguay increased throughout the observed period: $363.6 million in 2020, $375.7 million in 2021, $390.2 million in 2022, $407.4 million in 2023 and $428.1 million in 2024. This steady growth makes the market useful for long-term analysis rather than short-term campaign assumptions.

Digital advertising showed the strongest growth. It increased from $52.4 million in 2020 to $112.3 million in 2024. Its market share also grew from 14% to 26%, which shows a clear shift toward online channels in Uruguay’s media mix.

TV advertising remained the largest channel, although its share declined from 51% in 2020 to 45% in 2024. In absolute terms, TV spend increased slightly from $185.5 million to $193.8 million. This means that TV still has scale for broad-reach campaigns, but digital is growing faster.

Radio decreased from $65.6 million in 2020 to $59.0 million in 2024. Press also declined, from $26.8 million to $23.9 million. Outdoor advertising increased from $33.1 million to $38.2 million, while cinema remained a very small channel, below $1 million in 2024.

How businesses can use this data

For Ukrainian businesses, Uruguay can be considered when analyzing Latin America as a direction for international expansion. Advertising market data helps estimate the scale of media investment, understand the role of key channels and decide whether the country is suitable for a test campaign, partner launch or niche promotion.

If a company is planning to advertise in Uruguay, it should consider that TV remains the largest channel, while digital shows the strongest growth. For demand testing, digital channels such as search, social media, video advertising, remarketing and local online campaigns may be a practical starting point. For broader reach, digital can be combined with TV, radio and outdoor advertising.

The 2020–2024 data range is useful because it shows long-term market dynamics instead of a single-year fluctuation. This can help exporters, service companies, agencies and brands compare Uruguay with other Latin American markets and make more informed decisions about media planning and market entry strategy.

For a complete market assessment, also review the Uruguay market profile and Uruguay digital penetration data. Together, these pages connect demographics, GDP, advertising spend, media channels, internet usage, social media coverage and mobile connections into a clearer picture for strategic analysis.