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Seven of the fifteen networks measured, representing the entertainment genre, captured more than 60 percent of the aggregate investment. All genres except Documentaries experienced significant decreases mainly caused by important advertising cuts of the 2008 top advertising categories.

Sports networks were mainly affected due to steep cuts by male targeting advertisers such as Wireless equipment and services and Automotive.

The top 10 advertising categories of 2009 spent a combined total of US$195 million, a 2.5 percent decline from last year. The ranking experienced a major shift with categories such as theatrical film and household products /cleaners/detergents moving up from the bottom of the rank in 2008 (8 and 9 respectively) to the 3rd and 4th positions. While these two raised their investments significantly, 29.8 and 34.2 percent respectively, fragrances, dental hygiene and beverages dropped theirs 13, 13 and 6 percent, respectively, representing a total decline of US$6.2 million.

In the case of the wireless equipment and services category the story was grimmer with its spending nose-diving 20 percent to US$29 Million. The auto -category suffered a slighter decline of 11 percent ending in US$32 Million and maintaining its position as top advertising category.

The top 10 advertisers aggregated spending in International Pay TV Channels in 2009 represented a total US$125.3 Million, a 14 percent increase from last year. Only three out of the 10 top advertisers slashed their spending, with the rest showing increases ranging from 3 to 73 percent.

Procter & Gamble, despite slashing expenditures 1 percent, remained the Region’s largest advertiser with $22.9 Million in spending across international Pay TV channels. The company trimmed its spending of personal care and beauty products focusing most of its investment around cleaners.

Unilever ranked as the second largest advertiser with an aggressive 73 percent increase in spending ending in US$21 million. Unilever’s increase of investment represented the highest increase of the top 10 advertisers.

Colgate came in third with a 2 percent decrease versus last year and Reckitt- Benckiser fourth. Reckitt’s media buy in the International Pay TV Channels can be qualified as the most efficient buy resulting in 31 percent more investment and 63 percent more spots compared to 2008. These two last packaged goods in the top 10, had investment levels of US$20 million, Colgate, and $18 million Reckitt.

Among the wireless telecommunication providers and equipment, Sony Ericson hiked its spending by a strong 29 percent, to US$7.3 million; TELCEL as service provider showed an increase of 3 percent a sign of monies being shifted from other media.

In the Auto-category, Nissan showed an important increase of 12 percent, to US$6.5 million versus 2008. A move that got Nissan to step on Ford’s tail which despite decreasing its investments by 18 percent it ended only $34,000 short of Nissan and as advertiser number 10.

* Networks Analyzed: Discovery Channel, ESPN, FOX Sports, FOX, MTV, National Geographic, Sony, TNT, Warner, AXN, Universal, Cartoon Network, Discovery Kids, JETIX was replaced by Disney as of March 2009.