Spending on television advertising fell 1.1 percent last year, following a 2 percent gain in 2007 when it was boosted by the Rugby World Cup.

Total revenue for 2008 dropped to $647.2 million, a not unexpected decline given the worldwide economic slowdown, said NZ Television Broadcasters' Council chief executive Rick Friesen.

A 3.1-percent gain during the first half of the year was outweighed by a 4.4 percent decline in revenue in the second half as companies pulled back on advertising spending, Mr Friesen said.

Revenue figures were sourced from TVNZ (TV One and TV2), MediaWorks TV (TV3 and C4) and Sky Network Television (including Prime).