The Arab world's US$1 billion (Dh3.67bn) television advertising industry is forecast to be "under strain" this year, as global firms cut spending on publicity and digital media continue to rise.
Television is considered the backbone of the Aomrab media industry, although the print sector - newspapers and magazines - still attract more advertising revenue.
One of the region's top advertising executives estimates that spending on TV advertising will decline by 5 per cent this year, underperforming the rest of the Arab media market.
Elie Khouri, the chief executive of Omnicom Media Group in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), said caution by multinational advertisers would suppress TV revenues. "I estimate it's going to be down by 5 per cent this year. Multinational clients are holding back," he said.
Global brands such as PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and Vodafone rank among the biggest advertising spenders in the Arab world, the Pan Arab Research Center says.
However, caution by multinational companies is a key factor behind a forecast decline in Arab television revenues, Mr Khouri said. "Within media, TV got hit last year, and I think TV will still be under strain this year, because TV is driven by multinational clients, not by local clients."
Mr Khouri estimates the total size of the Arab advertising market at between $4bn and $4.5bn, with television accounting for about a quarter of that. Spending on television in the Gulf region accounts for about $700 million of the billion-dollar industry, he said.
Despite this, other forms of media are starting to threaten TV's dominance, Mr Khouri said.
"TV has always been considered the backbone of the industry in this part of the world, and I think today we're starting to see that other media types are taking over from TV: that being the digital, the emphasis on social media, and search. All these things are growing phenomenally still," he said.
Mr Khouri expects total Mena advertising revenue to remain flat. Despite the effects of the Arab Spring being "behind us", he sees global economic issues having an impact on the region.
Omnicom owns two of the world's biggest media agencies, PHD and OMD. Between them, they control an estimated 15 to 20 per cent of the total advertising spending in the Mena region.
Other media agencies agreed that the TV industry would come under pressure this year. Zubair Siddiqui, the managing director of the media agency UM Dubai, predicts that total Arab advertising spending will be flat this year.
While the digital element of media is forecast to grow, Mr Siddiqui believes television will continue to suffer. "TV revenues have been under pressure ever since the recession hit," he said. "Digital growth is happening at the expense of all traditional media."
Mohan Nambiar, the chief executive of the media planning agency MEC in the Middle East and North Africa, expected that spending on TV advertising would be "slightly" lower this year.
The TV industry, however, hit back at such claims. Dubai's MBC - the biggest broadcaster in the Arab world - said it expected growth in advertising revenue.
Mazen Hayek, the group director of PR and commercial at MBC, said that commentators such as Mr Khouri should not extrapolate wider trends from the behaviour of their own clients.
"Some companies have issues in their principal markets. That doesn't mean that the whole multinational category is dropping," said Mr Hayek.