Newspapers in UAE take lion's share of advertising
The UAE's newspapers are taking the major share of the print media advertising – and foreign publishers are moving in to claim a share.
Meanwhile, more local papers are appearing as the industry turns 30.
Two of the oldest papers in the country, Gulf News and Khaleej Times, are celebrating their 30th anniversaries, while the newest, Abu Dhabi's The National, was launched earlier this month.
Foreign players expanding their presence include The Financial Times, which has launched a Middle East edition based in Abu Dhabi with a full-fledged editorial and marketing office.
And the International Herald Tribune (IHT) is said to be in talks with Khaleej Times about establishing a regional presence.
These developments are part of a chain reaction that began three years ago with the launch of 7Days, the country's first tabloid, followed by Emirates Evening Post, Xpress and Emirates Today – now reborn as Emirates Business.
Five years ago there were plans to bring some of the newspapers from the Subcontinent to the UAE but they fizzled out as the idea did not seem viable.
Ikon Advertising, for example, held discussions with the Times of India about basing a Middle East edition in Dubai. "The idea was shelved after a feasibility report was conducted," said Ikon Chairman and Managing Director Ali Asgar Mir.
Since then the region has seen a large increase in print advertising spending.
Ad spend in the UAE has increased from $869 million (Dh3 billion) in 2005 to $1.3bn in 2007 – the highest in the Middle East, according to 2007 Advertising Spend Report by Pan-Arab Research Centre.
Of this, around two thirds went to Arabic and English-language newspapers.
There are currently eight English-language newspapers and five major Arabic newspapers in the UAE.
A market analysis from Cannes Lions, organiser of the Dubai International Advertising Festival, said the UAE's print advertising expenditure will shoot up to $2.4bn next year.
And the print media in and around the region seems to know it. The economic boom has created more brands, more competition and more reasons to advertise. Advertising for the booming property market is filling full pages in daily newspapers and covering the roadsides with billboards competing for attention.
The IHT has relationships with nine English-language newspapers around the world, including Egypt's Daily News – the only paper in the Middle East with which it has such a partnership. In 2001, the IHT announced a tie-up with Daily Star in Beirut but the two separated in 2006.
The Times of London began printing an international edition in the UAE in 2007 although the lack of local content is matched only by the lack of local ads.
The FT is already distributed in the region but the new edition is tailored to the Middle East with one page of local business news. Other international print brands are also believed to be planning to enter the market.
The numbers
13: English and Arabic papers in the UAE
2.4bn: Print advertising expenditure by 2009
Meanwhile, more local papers are appearing as the industry turns 30.
Two of the oldest papers in the country, Gulf News and Khaleej Times, are celebrating their 30th anniversaries, while the newest, Abu Dhabi's The National, was launched earlier this month.
Foreign players expanding their presence include The Financial Times, which has launched a Middle East edition based in Abu Dhabi with a full-fledged editorial and marketing office.
And the International Herald Tribune (IHT) is said to be in talks with Khaleej Times about establishing a regional presence.
These developments are part of a chain reaction that began three years ago with the launch of 7Days, the country's first tabloid, followed by Emirates Evening Post, Xpress and Emirates Today – now reborn as Emirates Business.
Five years ago there were plans to bring some of the newspapers from the Subcontinent to the UAE but they fizzled out as the idea did not seem viable.
Ikon Advertising, for example, held discussions with the Times of India about basing a Middle East edition in Dubai. "The idea was shelved after a feasibility report was conducted," said Ikon Chairman and Managing Director Ali Asgar Mir.
Since then the region has seen a large increase in print advertising spending.
Ad spend in the UAE has increased from $869 million (Dh3 billion) in 2005 to $1.3bn in 2007 – the highest in the Middle East, according to 2007 Advertising Spend Report by Pan-Arab Research Centre.
Of this, around two thirds went to Arabic and English-language newspapers.
There are currently eight English-language newspapers and five major Arabic newspapers in the UAE.
A market analysis from Cannes Lions, organiser of the Dubai International Advertising Festival, said the UAE's print advertising expenditure will shoot up to $2.4bn next year.
And the print media in and around the region seems to know it. The economic boom has created more brands, more competition and more reasons to advertise. Advertising for the booming property market is filling full pages in daily newspapers and covering the roadsides with billboards competing for attention.
The IHT has relationships with nine English-language newspapers around the world, including Egypt's Daily News – the only paper in the Middle East with which it has such a partnership. In 2001, the IHT announced a tie-up with Daily Star in Beirut but the two separated in 2006.
The Times of London began printing an international edition in the UAE in 2007 although the lack of local content is matched only by the lack of local ads.
The FT is already distributed in the region but the new edition is tailored to the Middle East with one page of local business news. Other international print brands are also believed to be planning to enter the market.
The numbers
13: English and Arabic papers in the UAE
2.4bn: Print advertising expenditure by 2009
/Business 24/7/
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