FACTBOX-Corporate spending on sport in North America

 CHICAGO, Oct 21 (Reuters) - As fears of a global recession
rise, U.S. sports executives are left to wonder whether
companies in North America will cut spending on advertising,
sponsorships, tickets and other areas related to sports.

 Below are some statistics on sports sponsorships and
marketing.

 The biggest North American-based corporate spenders in 2007
on sports sponsorships:

 1. Anheuser-Busch Cos Inc

 2. Pepsico Inc

 3. Coca-Cola Co

 4. Nike Inc

 5. General Motors Corp

 6. Toyota Motor Corp

 7. Miller Brewing Co, a unit of SABMiller PLC

 8. Sprint Nextel Corp

 9. AT&T Inc

 10. Visa Inc

 11. McDonald's Corp

 12. Bank of America Corp

 Source: IEG Sponsorship Report

 The financial services sector has been especially hard hit
by bad mortgage debt and tighter credit markets. That sector
historically has been a big spender on sports.

 In 2007, financial services companies based in North America
divided their sponsorship money across a broad array of sports,
favoring auto racing and sporting venues:

 Auto racing    -- 18 percent

 Arena/stadium  -- 15 percent

 Golf           --  8 percent

 Soccer         --  8 percent

 Football       --  8 percent

 Olympic sports --  6 percent

 Baseball       --  5 percent

 Ice hockey     --  3 percent

 Sailing        --  3 percent

 Tennis         --  3 percent

 Other          -- 22 percent

 Source: IEG Sponsorship Report

 Sports up to now have been a popular way for advertisers to
reach consumers, but many analysts said that spending may drop
in the near term due to the economy.

 Top 10 advertisers as ranked by millions of dollars spent at
major TV sports events.

 Company                Oct '07-      Oct '06-     Pct

                        Sept '08      Sept '07     change

 General Motors Corp    $130.1        $132.0       -1.4

 Anheuser-Busch Cos Inc $68.1         $64.5        +5.6

 AT&T Inc               $62.4         $36.5        +71.0

 Pepsico Inc            $62.0         $40.4        +53.5

 Coca-Cola Co           $47.6         $41.3        +15.3

 SABMiller Plc          $32.8         $22.6        +45.1

 Yum Brands Inc         $32.5         $29.5        +10.2

 U.S. government        $27.1         $18.6        +45.7

 Ford Motor Co          $25.3         $24.8        +2.0

 Verizon Communications $24.9         $16.3        +52.8

 Note: Sporting events cited in ranking include Major League
Baseball's World Series in October, the NCAA college football
bowl games in January, the National Football League's Super Bowl
in February, the NCAA men's basketball tournament in March and
the National Basketball Association's finals in October.

 Source: TNS Media Intelligence
(Compiled by Ben Klayman, editing in London by Jon Bramley)