LOS ANGELES  – Advertisers have spent a total of $720 million to promote their products during the Oscar telecast over the past 10 years, according to a report released Monday by ad research firm Kantar Media.

The average price per 30-second spot has fluctuated over the past decade, hitting a high of $1.69 million in 2008 up from a low of $1.29 million in 2002. Last year, each spot cost an average of $1.4 million.

For 2011, ABC's initial asking price for a 30-second spot was about $1.7 million, and the available inventory is already sold out, according to published reports.

Over the past decade, the total ad spend per year reached a high of $81.1 million in 2008 and a low of $61.6 million in 2001. The total for 2010's telecast was $70 million.

Meanwhile, a small number of blue-chip advertisers dominate the rankings of top spenders. Over the past five years, more than 50 percent of the total ad revenue has come from only five companies: Coca-Cola, JC Penney, General Motors, American Express and MasterCard International.

However, the recession has led to an increased number of first-time advertisers during the Oscar telecast over the past five years, according to Kantar Media. Forty-eight percent of advertisers during last year's telecast were first-timers, up from 33 percent the year before and up from 15 percent in 2008. Last year's newcomers included Ameriprise, Estee Lauder, Intel, Kimberly-Clark and Samsung.