Monitored advertising expenditure across the GCC crossed $8.6 billion between December 2024 and November 2025, underscoring the region’s continued status as one of the most brand-driven media markets globally, with actual spending estimated to be around $6 billion. Data shared by Ipsos shows that the region’s top advertisers remain heavily committed to television and outdoor media, even as digital steadily expands its footprint in the media mix.
Over the 12 months, TV accounted for more than half of total ad spend, absorbing 51.5 percent of all investments. Outdoor advertising remained the second-largest channel, consistently capturing roughly one-quarter of total ad spend, reinforcing its role as a core visibility channel across GCC cities. Digital advertising accounts for 14.4 percent of total spend, while radio and print make up the remaining 85.6 percent and continue to play supporting but stable roles.
A market shaped by seasonal peaks
The data reveals a market defined by sharp seasonal swings, with advertisers concentrating budgets around culturally and commercially significant periods. March 2025 emerged as the single biggest month, with total ad spend touching new highs. The spike coincided with Ramadan, traditionally the most competitive advertising season in the region.
During March, TV spending surged, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all ad expenditure that month. In fact, 18.3 percent of the entire year’s TV spend was concentrated in March alone, underlining how crucial Ramadan remains for brand storytelling, promotions, and mass-reach campaigns.
Digital also recorded its highest monthly spend in March, while outdoor crossed key thresholds, reflecting a multichannel push by top advertisers seeking both scale and frequency during peak consumer engagement.
Television still anchors big-brand strategies
Despite ongoing conversations about digital disruption, the Ipsos data suggests that TV remains the anchor medium for the GCC’s biggest spenders—government entities, telecoms, large retail groups, tourism authorities, and automotive brands. In nearly every month, television commanded the largest share of advertising budgets, particularly during high-impact periods such as Ramadan, year-end campaigns, and November promotions.
Even in months where overall spending dipped, TV retained dominance. In November 2025, for instance, TV captured 65.8 percent of monthly ad spend, despite total market expenditure falling below $470 million. This indicates that when budgets tighten, advertisers prioritize reach-driven media over experimental or fragmented channels.
Across the year, TV spend was strongest in March, February, December, and January, reflecting a preference for broadcast-led campaigns during moments of heightened audience aggregation.
Outdoor proves resilient across the year
Outdoor advertising emerged as the second-most important channel for top GCC advertisers, showing remarkable consistency outside peak TV months. The channel performed particularly well during June, when it accounted for over 40 percent of total monthly ad spend, nearly matching television. The reason is that today’s urban consumers in GCC cities are highly mobile, moving between work, malls, and public spaces, which increases outdoor ad impressions and effectiveness.
With $2.21 billion invested over the year, outdoor’s appeal lies in its ability to deliver constant brand presence in high-density urban environments—especially in cities like Riyadh, Dubai, and Doha, where infrastructure expansion and commuter traffic support large-format displays. According to recent data, the UAE’s total advertising expenditure in the first half of 2025 was around AED 3.14 billion ($855 million), a figure that underscores the UAE’s continued leadership in GCC advertising investment.
Outdoor spending remained robust in December, January, October, and September, pointing to its role as a sustained branding medium rather than a purely seasonal one.
Digital grows steadily, not aggressively
Digital advertising continued its upward trajectory but at a measured pace. While digital spend peaked during Ramadan and again in the latter half of the year, it did not displace traditional media at the top of the hierarchy.
Digital’s strongest months were March, September, October, and November, with November seeing digital account for 22.7 percent of total monthly spend, its highest share of the year. This suggests that advertisers increasingly rely on digital for targeted extensions of large campaigns rather than as a primary channel.
Overall, digital captures one-seventh of the total annual spend, reflecting a market that values precision and performance but still prioritizes reach, scale, and brand building through TV and outdoor.
Print and radio remain tactical tools
Print and radio together accounted for just under 9 percent of total ad spend, reinforcing their position as tactical rather than lead media. Print spending was strongest in September and October, often aligned with corporate, retail, and government-led messaging.
Radio, meanwhile, showed remarkable stability across the year, with modest peaks during campaign-heavy months. Its consistent presence suggests continued relevance for frequency building and regional targeting, particularly in commuter-heavy markets.
Reach remains paramount in the GCC
Taken together, the Ipsos data paints a clear picture of how top advertisers in the GCC think about media. Large budgets are still deployed where reach is guaranteed—television first, outdoor second—while digital plays an increasingly important but complementary role.
Rather than abandoning traditional channels, advertisers are layering digital on top of established media strategies, especially during peak periods. The result is a market that is evolving steadily, not radically—balancing scale with precision, and tradition with transition.
Ramadan continues to be the most aggressively contested period across TV and digital in the region, with media consumption and brand engagement surging sharply during the holy month. The second quarter often emerges as the highest-spending quarter, reflecting both Ramadan and the tourism cycle in key GCC markets. Advertising investment during Ramadan rose sharply, with total regional media spend projected to reach around $1.1 billion. Influencer marketing emerged as a major beneficiary, accounting for as much as 40 percent of some brand budgets.
As GCC economies continue to diversify and consumer behavior fragments further, the real test ahead will be whether digital accelerates beyond its current share—or whether TV and outdoor continue to define where the region’s advertising billions are spent.
