Media

Dubai plays host to more than 2000 major media companies, including 120 TV channels and broadcasters, and 180 production houses. While the effects of the global financial crisis have resulted in some residual caution among market players, there is plenty of upside for Dubai’s media and advertising outfits to tap into. In first-quarter 2014 newspapers had the highest advertising expenditure, pulling in $227m, or 57% of the total amount spent in those three months. Major potential for Arabic language content and a thriving pay TV sector, which in 2013 had an 85% penetration rate in the UAE, are expanding the sector’s offering.