The U.S. advertising economy marked a tepid 0.6 percent growth during the first quarter of 2008, according to data released Wednesday by TNS Media Intelligence. However, concerns about the economy are still holding back ad spending in some major media, Media Post reported.

"Enduring concerns about economic conditions and consumer spending behavior continued to cast a pall over the advertising market during the first quarter. After a hopeful start to the year, the pace of ad spending slowed perceptibly during March and early figures from the second quarter indicate little immediate or sustained improvement in the core ad economy," according to Jon Swallen, senior vice president-research at TNS media intelligence.

Though the first quarter of 2008 continued its uptick from the fourth quarter last year, with a scant 0.1 percent growth in ad spending of measured media, it is not such an auspicious start to what many expected to be a harvesting advertising year, with two ad spending catalysts – the U.S. presidential election and the summer Olympics.

The Internet was still the best player among the major media during the first quarter this year, up 8.5 percent versus the same period of 2007. The TNS' figures only accounted for online display advertising, and did not reflect high growth sectors such as online search.

Overall TV ad spending grew modestly for 1.7 percent, while Spanish-language TV and cable TV continued to outpace the overall, Media Post reported.