Print industry in the Arab region continues to boom

Dubai: The print industry in the Arab region has fared better than others during the global financial crisis, the Arab Media Outlook 2009-2013 has shown.

According to the report, prepared by the Dubai Press Club, the overall daily circulation and the total number of titles are increasing year on year in the region, while in most developed markets, circulation levels and the number of titles have consistently decreased.

Over the past few years, the number of titles in the Arab region has been steadily growing, supported by new licences being awarded, the report found.

A total of 10 new licences have been awarded in Kuwait since 2006, which led to new titles being established in 2007 and 2008. In fact, 2009 was the first time in many years that the number of newspaper titles in the region has remained almost constant, the report shows.

International decreases

Internationally, however, the picture is bleak. In the US, the number of newspaper titles available decreased by 7 per cent between 2007 and 2008 and continued to decrease in 2009.

Overall daily circulation in the Arab region is continuing to increase, contrary to other markets. The US saw a 4 per cent decline in total circulation between 2003 and 2008. In spite of the total number of daily newspaper titles in the Arab region stalling between 2008 and 2009, circulation has continued to increase, as demonstrated by report data.

The report also predicts that the circulation of daily newspapers would continue to increase over the next five years, although at a slower pace than before.

This forecast is also supported by the responses of interviewees across the region's print media industry. The report says that 61 per cent of respondents from the print sector in the region feel positive about the prospects for the industry in 2010.

The report is now available online in English and Arabic at http://www.dpc.org.ae.