Media
From The Report: Qatar 2015
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The state of Qatar has become a hub for regional broadcasters, and the country enjoys high levels of media consumption with, for example, some 81% of Qatari residents reading newspapers, compared to a figure of 65% regionally. Elsewhere, Qatar’s internet penetration rate was 85.3% at the end of 2013, according to the International Telecommunications Union, one of the highest levels in the GCC, with 72% of the state’s internet users saying that “passing time online” is important, compared to 71% regionally. Meanwhile, total advertising spend in Qatar in the first three quarters of 2014 was $461m, down 1% from $466m in the same period of 2013. Newspapers were the dominant medium on the advertising market, accounting for $353m, or 77% of overall spend.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Qatar’s broadcast and print media attract consumers beyond its borders
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Media outlets based in Qatar are increasingly prominent on the regional and international stage, but there are also intensifying efforts to develop content tailored for the Qatari market. According to a 2014 study by Northwestern University in Qatar in partnership with Doha Film Institute (DFI), across the MENA region, people spend more time consuming entertainment media than news or current affairs. While international cultural products – from Hollywood films to the “Korean Wave” and…

Analysis

Old and new: As the media landscape evolves, advertisers’ spending shifts
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Like Qatar’s media sector, the advertising market is evolving quickly. While newspapers continue to take the lion’s share of advertising spend, new media are on the rise, and competition is growing between agencies. In the first three quarters of 2014, total ad spending in Qatar amounted to $461m, down 1% from $466m in the same period in 2013, according to the Pan Arab Research Centre. Newspapers were, by a large margin, the dominant medium on the advertising market, accounting for $353m,…