1978 saw the launch of two English dailies in the Gulf. While its competitor carved a special niche for itself in the market and built up a loyal readership, Gulf News remained erratic, barely surviving with a circulation of 3000. Problems were compounded with ownership changes and with no investors willing to take a risk, it was on the verge of closure.
Then, in one dramatic move the fate of Gulf News changed. In 1984, three visionary, leading businessmen of Dubai bought it over. And Gulf News was relaunched on December 10, 1985 by Al Nisr Publishing LLC.
Within a few months Gulf News had new premises, new printing technology, revitalised editorial, marketing, circulation teams and production professionals to harness the new technology. A multi-pronged marketing strategy hit the target, advertising revenues soared by over 40% in the first three months, and subscriptions took a gigantic leap.
The phenomenal success of the Gulf News re-launch was so remarkable that it justifiably earned the distinction of being referred to as "a unique record in print media within the GCC".
Since then, it has established itself as the leading English language newspaper of the region - a position it has occupied for many years. This fact is validated by IPSOS MediaCT – NRS-UAE surveys, and the BPA Worldwide audit, confirming an average daily circulation of 109,905 in print, while online the newspaper dominates with 1,300,000 unique visits to the site monthly. Gulf News has consistently sold more, and been the most read news provider in the UAE - for decades.
Gulf News and GulfNews.com simply reach more readers than all the other English newspapers, combined. In fact, the Arab Media Outlook 2011-2015, an independent survey of Arab media published by the Dubai Press Club, rated Gulf News as “the most read” newspaper in the UAE, ahead of all other English - and Arabic - competitors.
