The Dubai Press Club (DPC) and the Dubai Media City (DMC) have released the digital version of the Arab Media Outlook report: Youth, Content, Digital Media. This is in line with Dubai’s ongoing efforts to transform into a smart city, regionally and globally. It is also a part of the DPC’s endeavors to expand the report’s reach to a larger audience.

The fifth edition of the outlook highlights important issues that require further research and investing in the future. It also highlights the current media developments in 14 Arab countries along with the future trends that will emerge in the media industry in the next few years.

“The digital version of the report reflects the government’s strategy towards transforming into a smart city, noting that digital production is an effective method to communicate with a larger segment of audiences and media professionals around the Arab world and beyond,” said Alia Al Theeb, Director of the Dubai Press Club.

She also stressed that the fifth edition offers a comprehensive idea about the status quo of the media landscape in the Arab world which necessitates further research and analysis to help understand current and future trends posed by new social media platforms. She added that the report serves as a reliable reference to all aspects of the media industry in 14 Arab countries so as to drive the media development and growth and identify better communication channels with the public.

Majed Al Suwaidi, Managing Director of Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City and Dubai Production City added, “The rapid changes in the media landscape and the rise of new social media platforms required fresh studies related to the future of the media industry that are presented in the report.”

He highlighted that the report reflects the importance of the cooperation between DPC and DMC to support media industry and drive the development of media in the region. He said that the Arab media communities will continue to provide the means to achieve innovation and develop media content as well as provide the support required to hone the skills of talented youth who constitute the main driving force of growth.

Key Highlights
The report reveals that the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) production market is expected to surge to USD 12.4 billion by 2018. It also ascribes the shift to digital media to the youth as the young (under 24) comprise almost 50 percent of the region’s population, which is double that of many developed countries such as the United States of America and the United Kingdom.

The report indicates that the next phase of the media is characterized by the shift of audiences to digital media. It shows that the internet and broadband penetration has increased and the time spent on media through mobile phones is at a record high. It further shows that the shift to digital media is expected to increase in the next two years and, thus, offers solutions to keep abreast with the rapid development of social media, in addition to creating a balance between conventional media and digital media to ensure the success and development of traditional media.

The report also indicates that the paid media is expected to grow faster than advertising. The latter is expected to grow at a CAGR of 2.5 percent between 2016-2018, whereas paid media is expected to grow by 3.7 percent during the same period.

The Arab Media Outlook report is one of the key initiatives by DPC that aim to support the media sector in the region such as the ‘Arab Media Forum’ and the ‘Arab Journalism Award’.