Dubai, 13th April, 2017 (WAM) -- The UAE has topped the list of GCC countries in advertising spending in the first quarter of 2017 with AED1.5 billion, accounting for 46 percent of the total advertising expenditure across the Gulf region, according to TBWA Worldwide, a top 10 ranked global advertising network.

The UAE is followed in the second place by Saudi Arabia with US$220 million, Kuwait with $191 million, Qatar with $70 million, the Sultanate of Oman with $35 million and Bahrain with $29 million. 

UAE newspaper-based ad placements accounted for the lion’s share of the advertising market with 41 percent, spending AED 594 million. Outdoor advertising came second with AED389 million followed by radio placements with AED289 million , TV channels with AED124 million and finally movie advertising at the last place with AED41 million. 

Regional media advertising is down 22 percent at $1.7 billion from $2.1 billion in the same period in 2016. 

In the meantime, and based on industry data, there was a 14 percent decline in digital ad spending in the UAE in January 2017. Even then, the category still managed to come up with a 21 percent increase for the first 11 months of 2016 against the same period in 2015. Digital ad spends have been rising well above the overall ad industry average since 2012 in this market.