UAE. Developments in the region’s local production industry for all media platforms could help drive growth in the value of local Arabic content over the next five years, revealed ‘Arab Media Outlook 2009-2013: Inspiring Local Content,’ the third and latest edition of the ground-breaking report on the current status and future of the Arab media industry.

However, growth will be dependent on collaboration by governments and industry players alike to resolve several issues, including implementation of effective audience and circulation measurement systems, as well as continued efforts to tackle piracy and industry consolidation. 

‘The Arab Media Outlook 2009-2013: Inspiring Local Content,’ which was released yesterday by Dubai Press Club at an impressive function followed by a panel discussion, covers fifteen Arab countries, including an additional three since the release of last year’s report.

The study provides a comprehensive overview of the media scene in the region as compared to global markets, a country by country analysis of the media in fifteen Arab countries, the results of a market research study conducted in four key countries (Egypt, Lebanon, KSA and UAE), and an assessment of opportunities for the stimulation and exploitation of the local content industry. 

Mona Al Marri, Chairperson, Dubai Press Club, who spoke on the occasion, pointed out that the Press Club had pressed into service its entire network of relationships across the Arab world to come up with the report, which is much more comprehensive than the previous editions.

“Covering 15 countries this year was a quantum leap from the initial 6 countries that we began with three years ago, increasing it to 12 for the previous edition. I wish the report will become a definitive resource for policy makers, media owners, media experts, students and the general public to rely upon,” she added.

Maryam Bin Fahad, Executive Director, Dubai Press Club made a detailed presentation of the main findings of the report in regard to the creation of local content in the Arab media. She pointed out that the report is used by both the governments and media groups to resolve many issues, including media outreach measurements, fighting piracy and corporate consolidation in the media sector.

The panel discussion that followed the launch of the report was moderated by Maryam Bin Fahad. The speakers at the session were Ali Al Ahmed, Group Chief Strategy Officer, Etisalat, Ali Jaber, Dean of the Mohammed Bin Rashid School for Communication at the American University in Dubai, Dr. Ammar Bakkar, Head of New Media, MBC, Mohammed Hareb, director and producer of Freej, the cartoon series and Rawan Al Damen, Senior Producer, Programs Administration, Al Jazeerah.

The report assesses the impact of the global economic crisis on the region’s media industry and finds that in the regional advertising industry, although revenues dropped by 14% in 2009, there remains a strong sense of optimism for the future among industry players. In fact, nearly 60% of respondents interviewed for the study are feeling positive about the prospects of the media industry in 2010. 

The region is set to resume its position as one of the fastest growing regions in the world in terms of advertising spend, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 8% between 2009 and 2013. Advertising is set to exceed its pre-crisis 2008 levels by 2011 in the region, two years before global advertising is expected to recover. 

The internet, in particular, will grow at an impressive CAGR of nearly 50% over the same period to constitute over 4% of the total advertising market by 2013.

All sectors of the media industry are expected to display growth over the next five years.  Unlike most global markets, the Arab print industry remains strong and has continued to show growth in both the number of titles and overall circulation in recent years.  Although the rate of growth for the print industry is expected to slow, it still remains far more resilient than in other markets.

The emergence of the internet as a viable platform for news consumption is beginning to affect traditional newspapers in the region and most organizations have started to use the internet to complement their print edition.

The report shows that while the media industry across all Arab countries is expected to grow, some areas are displaying unique regional characteristics.

North African countries, for example Morocco and Tunisia, have seen the launch of a number of private channels in recent years and new platforms, such as Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), are gaining traction. Jordan is growing as a regional hub for regional internet start-ups, with several successful initiatives in the online world.

In the GCC region, new licenses for newspapers, as well as investments in TV production, are on the rise and channels are increasingly targeting content at neighboring Gulf countries to broaden audience reach.

The latest report also includes in-depth market research carried out in four key Arab markets: Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The research found that the internet is playing an increasingly prominent role in the media consumption habits of people interviewed in these four markets. Remarkably, people in the Arab world are spending about three hours per day on the internet on average, which is already on par with the amount of time spent on TV. 

Social networking, in particular, was cited among the favourite activities online and one of the top methods of communication. On average, 70% of the people in the four markets researched use social networks in some capacity and about 15% use social networking sites at least once a day. 

Specifically, the report provides an in-depth assessment of the local content industry in the Arab world and finds that the cost per hour of original content on the top channels in the UK to be worth between two to four times as much as the average Arabic series on the top 15 pan-Arab channels.

Unlocking the value of local content in the region, the report suggests, will be driven by tackling the challenges of monetisation, funding and talent and will be enabled by developments in technology and government regulation. Resolving the key issues that these fundamental areas present will be key to generating a vibrant and sustainable local content industry in the region.

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