PETALING JAYA: Global advertising expenditure (adex) is expected to grow to US$579bil this year, up 4.7% from last year, underpinned by major hikes in conjunction with quadrennial events like the Rio Summer Olympics, US presidential elections and European Football Championships.

The global ad market, which had enjoyed stable growth rates ranging between 4% and 5% a year since 2011, is expected to maintain this pace between 2016-2018, according to a statement from Zenith Media.