Spending on ads in newspapers and magazines in the six Arab countries that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council reached $2.96 billion last year, according to Ipsos Stat, an international media and market-research company. That's a fraction of U.S. spending, but it's almost 21% higher than the previous year and about 44% higher than 2005 levels. (The GCC is a political and economic alliance comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.)
Real estate, telecom, and financial sectors are some the biggest advertisers.
