Analysis Media & Advertising Middle East to be world’s fastest-growing ad market The Middle East’s advertising market is on track to be the world’s fastest growing over the next two years, driven by Saudi Arabia’s ongoing transformation. The regional market, worth $5.9 billion last year, is forecast to grow 10 percent in 2023 and a further 6.2 percent in 2024, when its value will reach $6.9 billion. […] September 19, 2023
Media & Advertising Blinx launches to cater to ‘tech-savvy youth’ A new digital media centre has launched in the Middle East focusing on Gen Z and millennial content creation, storytelling and reporting. Dubai-headquartered Blinx (spelt as “blinx”) wants to capitalise on the region’s burgeoning media and entertainment industry, expected to be worth over $61 billion by 2028, according to research from Mordor Intelligence. Blinx will […] September 13, 2023
Opinion Media & Advertising Mena brands see green values as good business The advertising industry is taking its clients’ climate concerns seriously September 12, 2023
Opinion People & Lifestyle Dubai expats winning the struggle to be taken seriously It is exasperating that the same tired old stories get re-hashed every year by the western press September 8, 2023
Media & Advertising UAE’s Multiply plans IPO after $61m ad agency deal Abu Dhabi investment holding company Multiply Group is planning an IPO for its media and communications business Multiply Media after buying a stake in Dubai outdoor advertising agency Media 247. The plan was announced after Multiply completed a deal to buy a 55 percent majority stake in Media 247 for AED225 million ($61.3 million). Media […] September 6, 2023
Tech Dubai tech company buys Virgin Mobile Latin America A Dubai technology investment company has bought Virgin Mobile Latin America, a mobile virtual network operator with operations in Mexico and Colombia. The acquisition by Beyond One follows its buyout in February of Virgin Mobile Middle East and Africa, which serves Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman and Kuwait. A mobile virtual network operator is a provider […] August 23, 2023
Video length: 5:59 VIDEO Media & Advertising UAE streamer Starzplay is ‘not chasing Netflix’ Video-on-demand service Starzplay is capitalising on its sports and Arabic content offering to attract subscribers and increase revenues. The UAE-based platform was acquired by e& subsidiary E-vision and Abu Dhabi holding company ADQ last year. It has 2.9 million subscribers across 19 countries in the Mena region and Pakistan. Competitors such as Netflix and Dubai-based […] August 23, 2023
People & Lifestyle SRMG’s venture capital arm invests $5m in Anghami SRMG Ventures, the venture capital arm of the Saudi media company behind brands such as Asharq Business and Arab News, has invested $5 million in streaming platform Anghami. Anghami launched in 2012 and has 120 million registered users, up from 75 million users in 2021, and a catalogue comprising over 100 million songs. The first […] August 22, 2023
Opinion Retail Brands will jump on the social commerce bandwagon in Mena Hurdles remain but e-commerce in the region must evolve August 15, 2023
People & Lifestyle Daily Mail seeks Middle East investors for Telegraph bid The Daily Mail and General Trust has registered its interest with British bank Lloyds for a potential bid for The Telegraph, a spokesperson told Reuters on Saturday. However, while it has been engaging with several parties, DMGT does not yet have any formal plans and there is no consortium, the spokesperson added. Sky News earlier […] August 13, 2023
Opinion Media & Advertising Observing Barbie in La La Land Touching on gender, sexuality and empowerment, it has been controversial in some parts of the Middle East August 11, 2023
Opinion Tech How augmented reality could boost your bottom line Marketers must leverage the region’s love of Snapchat and alternative realities August 10, 2023
Media & Advertising UAE publisher in pact to take Arabic literature global New York-headquartered publishing company Penguin Random House and Kalimat Group, a UAE-based publisher of Arabic books, have partnered to bring more Arabic literature to readers globally. The pact will increase the range of titles available in international markets. The collaboration will initially focus on publishing fiction from their extensive rosters of authors, bringing a diverse range […] August 1, 2023
Opinion Media & Advertising Marketers are grappling with AI’s role in advertising Artificial intelligence relies on data but the data has to be valuable July 14, 2023
Opinion Media & Advertising Mena’s podcast gap: Music to investors’ ears or a bum note? The region has potential but advertisers will keep a close eye on the data June 19, 2023
Opinion Media & Advertising Hacks and flacks chew the fat at the Bahri Bar An informal summer meet is an excellent opportunity for gossip and contact harvesting June 16, 2023
Opinion Media & Advertising Gulf News and Khaleej Times deserve a fighting chance How the region's struggling newspapers market might survive June 2, 2023
Retail Elon Musk reverses course on Tesla advertising its cars Tesla Inc boss Elon Musk, who has never used traditional advertising to sell cars, said on Tuesday that the automaker would try it and see whether it produced results. Musk said it was “ironic” that as CEO of Tesla, he now owns Twitter. The social media platform is highly dependent on ads and will soon […] May 17, 2023
Real Estate Luxury comes at a price for Dubai’s real estate brokers The cameras have all but stopped rolling on the third series of Dubai Hustle, a BBC docudrama that tracks the lives of real estate brokers in one of the world’s ritziest cities. Glamour junkies await their fix of tears and laughter, clothes and interiors – and firings and hirings – which feature in the lives […] April 21, 2023
Opinion Media & Advertising Region’s advertisers shoot for ‘Oscars’ in Cannes The Dubai Lynx Awards points to a promising showing in the Côte d’Azur April 12, 2023
Media & Advertising Saudi Arabia launches $234m fund for emerging film sector Saudi Arabia’s Cultural Development Fund (CDF) has launched a SAR 879 million ($233.9 million) film sector financing program to support local content and promote filmmaking. The programme is open to local and international companies in the kingdom’s emerging film sector. It will further encourage a sustainable and thriving film industry by empowering small and medium […] March 20, 2023
Media & Advertising Twitter to hike Blue pricing to $11 for iPhone app users Twitter Inc plans to change the pricing of its Twitter Blue subscription product to $11, from $7.99, if paid for through its iPhone app and to $7 if paid for on the website, the Information reported on Wednesday, citing a person briefed on the plans. The move was likely a pushback against Apple Inc’s 30 […] December 8, 2022
