The Internet will be the star of the Romanian advertising market where TV will remain king in 2008, experts in the industry interviewed by HotNews.ro agree. The market is expected to grow throughout the year but at a slower pace than in 2007. Opportunities provided by the 2008 elections, Euro 2008, or the absorption of European funds will be compensated by the difficulties met by the world - and Romanian - economy.

An estimated value for the entire Romanian advertising market this year is of over 600 million euro, according to one of the experts contacted by HotNews.ro.

These experts are Manuela Necula, Head of Country Ogilvy Group; Octav Popescu - Managing Director Initiative; Razvan Dumitrescu - Deputy Managing Director Lowe & Partners; Radu Florescu - CEO Saatchi&Saatchi Cosmin Radoi - Executive Director, DRAFTFCB Bucharest; Serban Alexandrescu - Director de Creatie, Headvertising; and IAA Romania executive Victor Dobre.

They agreed in their answers for HotNews.ro that on all segments of the market will grow this year, with a 35-40% increase expected on TV and everywhere between 40% and 80% on the Internet, a segment that reached around 9-10 million euro in 2007.

They don't expect the list of top categories of products and services to change significantly this year, but they agree that new media and other factors to have some industries change pace on one channel or another.

And they expect football, the Beijing Olympic Games, Romanian elections, the absorption of EU funds, the opportunities provided by the accession of Romania to the EU a year ago but also the economic troubles at home and abroad to have a significant impact on the Romanian advertising market.