Ad spend on Hispanics in the U.S. via Spanish-language media rose a dramatic 14.4 percent to nearly $5.6 billion in 2006, according to Nielsen Monitor Plus (via AdWeek).

Network and local TV took in 79 percent of the spending and the largest gain: 30 percent, rising to $740 million. Spending to Latino-geared cable TV saw 20.3 percent growth, followed by national magazines up at 14.7 percent.

The top 20 Spanish-language advertisers spent one-third of the advertising dollars and included Procter & Gamble, AT&T, Verizon, and McDonalds. The 20 increased their Spanish-language spending by 4.7 percent.

For more information, including data tables, see MarketingChart's coverage.