Arabic newspapers still hold the upper hand in advertising revenue over online news sources, a new study has found. The report, published by the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR), found that despite the rapid development of Arabic websites, advertisers have yet to follow suit, preferring to buy space in hardcopy newspapers, which still hold significant sway in the business. The report found that Arabic newspapers were more likely to stop printing for political rather than financial reasons since many of them are financed independently of advertisement revenues or even sales. Daoud Sharyan, editor of the Al-Arabiyya website told the authors that his website had two million visitors a month. He said his advertising revenues were still growing but that the online industry could not compete with advertising in hardcopy newspapers. Muaffac Harb, a seasoned Middle Eastern journalist quoted in the report, said advertising will play a crucial part in the future of both print and electronic media. “The importance of advertising on the Internet is a demographic issue,” he said. “When I want to read your material, you make me register and give some personal information, which helps the Internet site increase its advertising income, because it’s important for the advertiser to know the age and number of visitors.”
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