Dubai Press Club Begins Compilation of Fourth ‘Arab Media Outlook’

Saturday, 28 January 2012

Report to Monitor Shift in Form and Content across all Arab Media Platforms

Dubai Press Club, organisers of the annual Arab Media Forum and Arab Journalism Awards, today announced it has commenced work on its flagship ‘Arab Media Outlook’, monitoring the development of the region’s media landscape and its projected growth from 2012-2016.

The report is one of the most reliable sources for information on media trends in the Arab world for stakeholders, including media professionals, public policy experts, governments, students and advertising companies.

Maryam Bin Fahad, Executive Director, Dubai Press Club, said: "The new edition of the Arab Media Outlook will scientifically monitor the changes taking place in the sector across 17 Arab countries, including Iraq, Libya, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Qatar, Palestine. It will particularly examine geographical areas that were disproportionately impacted by the recent political, social and economic upheavals and consequently witnessed a shift in reporting trends. The Arab Media Outlook will additionally analyse the role of traditional media in a prolific digital media environment.

“At Dubai Press Club, we believe this is an exciting and opportune time to carry out the research with the industry undergoing a dynamic evolution. In addition to the survey, the report will incorporate interviews with select media leaders in the Arab world to provide a rare insight on their expectations of the challenges and opportunities facing the regional media industry.”

The club has appointed Deloitte, the leading professional services firm, providing consulting, financial advisory, audit and tax services, and with competence in the media and convergent industries to supervise the studies supporting the production of this report.

Santino Saguto, TMT (Telecommunications, Media, Technology) industry leader at Deloitte Middle East said: “The fourth edition of the Arab Media Outlook will review the status of development of the regional media industry across the 17 countries, by comparing current market data with the previous edition while adding new considerations based on most recent trends. Digitization of content is rapidly changing the structure of the media industry value chain. New models are emerging globally as for brand expansion, monetization, partnerships, and consumer behavior. The report will analyze how these global trends are shaping the media industry in the Arab world and which regional opportunities are being created. The report will also develop for the first time an analysis of the main type of contents, including news, sports, games, music, and social media.”

The new edition of Arab Media Outlook will specifically look into the patterns of media consumption in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Morocco. In addition to examining the volume of investments in newspapers, radio stations, television stations, agencies and new media, the study will assess the impact of the surge in broadband internet and the increased use of social media networks in relation to consumer trends. Results of the survey will then inform strategies on how best to take advantage of these trends from a media perspective.

Bin Fahd added: "With the prestigious and reputed status the report has gained as a comprehensive reference amongst media practitioners, researchers, students and decision-makers alike, we are confident that our findings this year will make for some great dialogue at the 11th Arab Media Forum that will be held in May.”

The Arab Media Outlook Report, in addition to the Arab Media Forum and Arab Journalism Awards are part of the initiatives and pilot projects launched by the Dubai Press Club to develop the media sector in the Arab world.

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