Media Consumption in the Middle East ─ Examining the Data

Presentation Excerpts

Department of Public Information, United Nations

New York

2 September 2003

About InterMedia A non-profit firm based in Washington, DC and the United

Kingdom, we provide global research, evaluation, and consulting in support of the international media and development community.

Specializing in media research, we help clients understand their audiences, gauge their effectiveness and target their communications.

Focusing on transitional and developing countries, we work in Africa, the Balkans, Central & Eastern Europe, the NIS, Asia, Latin America & Caribbean, and the Middle East & North Africa.

We have decades of accumulated research and consulting experience and vast geographic expertise spanning over 120 countries.

We have done over 50 quantitative and qualitative studies in the Middle East/North Africa in the last two years.

Our Task With Data Hot Off the Presses

We will highlight how Middle Eastern media markets broadly reflect global patterns yet are also distinctive.

We will review InterMedia’s survey research in the Arab world, concentrating on those societies from which we have data hot off the presses.

We will look at various aspects of media behavior ─ namely, daily media usage for information, usage by demographic categories, identification of the most important sources, and evaluation of the most reliable sources.

We will underscore the utility of conducting further research in the UN’s efforts to convey information to particularly target audiences.

Middle Eastern Media Markets Reflect Global Patterns

Sources of information and entertainment are proliferating. The more well educated, the more media consumption

and the greater variety of mediums used. Television is the most popular entertainment and

information medium. FM radio is dominant over AM and Shortwave. Newspaper consumption is highest among the most

educated. Internet use is typically limited to young, well educated, urban

dwellers. News consumers tend to be skeptics.

Middle Eastern Media Markets Are Also Distinctive

Media markets are highly dynamic. Satellite television is surging in popularity. Regional stations are perceived as local,

dominating over international ones. Internet as a source of information is in its

infancy. Media consumers are increasingly

sophisticated as their choices multiply. Youth audiences are prominent.

InterMedia Research in the Arab World

In July 2003, InterMedia completed work on six urban/rural surveys in the Arab world:

Egypt (n=2,000) Jordan (n=1,500) Kuwait (n=1,500) Morocco (n=2,000) Qatar (n=1,000) UAE (Abu Dhabi & Dubai, n=1,200)

We will be surveying in these countries again in December 2003-January 2004 and in June 2004, adding Bahrain and Palestine to this list.

We have also conducted surveys in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Turkey.

Daily Use of Media for Information ─ Television Prevails

7770

78

38

29

52

1713

60

3 27

TV Radio Newspapers Internet

EgyptJordanUAE

Source: InterMedia Surveys, July 2003

Daily Use of TV ─ Age, Gender, Education

Gender

77

75

88

76

65

63

Egypt

Jordan

UAE

Male

Female

77

59

75

76

77

87

80

87

76

69

84

59

Egypt

Jordan

UAE

15-29

30-44

45-59

60+

Source: InterMedia Surveys, July 2003

Age

Education

36

26

59

42

29

44

38

31

46

28

26

63

Egypt

Jordan

UAE No formalSome elemSecondCol/Univ

Daily Use of Radio ─Age, Gender, Education

Age

33

27

45

43

29

58

45

32

62

50

35

50

Egypt

Jordan

UAE 15-2930-4445-5960+

Gender

37

31

70

40

26

26

Egypt

Jordan

UAE

Male

Female

Education

36

26

59

42

29

44

38

31

46

28

26

63

Egypt

Jordan

UAE No formal

Some elem

Second

Col/Univ

Source: InterMedia Surveys, July 2003

Daily Use of Newspapers ─ Age, Gender, Education

Age

15

12

60

18

16

71

24

14

46

15

11

25

Egypt

Jordan

UAE 15-29

30-44

45-59

60+

Gender

22

18

67

12

8

50

Egypt

Jordan

UAE

Male

Female

Education

3

7

15

5

37

17

11

61

26

27

76

Egypt

Jordan

UAE No formal

Some elem

Second

Col/Univ

Source: InterMedia Surveys, July 2003

Household Access to Satellite TV ─ On the Rise

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1993 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2003

UAEKuwaitSaudi ArabiaMoroccoJordanEgypt

Sources: InterMedia Surveys, July 2003; IBB Research, May 2002

Most Important Information Sources in Egypt

54

7

11

9

13

28

6

3

3

5

1

Egyptian Channel 1

Egyptian Channel 2

Nile News

Al Jazeera

First Mention Second Mention Third Mention

Source: InterMedia Surveys, July 2003

Most Important Information Sources in Jordan

44

33

2

2

2

2

6

10

15

6

5

3

4

3

4

6

2

3

JTV 1

Al Jazeera

Syrian TV

Abu Dhabi TV

Al Manar

MBC

First Mention Second Mention Third Mention

Source: InterMedia Surveys, July 2003

Most Important Information Sources in the UAE

39

14

9

7

5

5

17

13

11

4

3

4

5

6

9

3

2

2

Al Jazeera

Abu Dhabi TV

MBC

Dubai TV

Al Arabiya

Other

First Mention Second Mention Third Mention

Source: InterMedia Surveys, July 2003

Reliability of News on TV Stations in Egypt

3

5

7

3

6

3

5

2

6

11

13

17

15

12

20

23

25

28

24

29

32

75

67

54

51

50

48

42

Al Jazeera (n=416)

Egyptian Channel 1 (n=413)

Nile TV (n=285)

MBC(n=344)

CNN (n=147)

LBC (n=312)

BBC (n=67)

Very/Somewhat unreliable Neither Somewhat reliable Very reliable

Source: InterMedia Surveys, July 2003

Reliability of News on TV Stations in Jordan

4

3

3

9

8

10

5

8

11

16

27

38

32

39

44

43

52

35

55

47

39

20

9

9

Al Jazeera (n=842)

JTV (n=1076)

Abu Dhabi (n=638)

BBC (n=99)

LBC (n=630)

CNN (n=277)

Very/Somewhat unreliable Neither Somewhat reliable Very reliable

Reliability of News on TV Stationsin UAE

1

4

8

1

1

2

3

11

18

14

6

8

12

20

25

17

18

92

85

82

73

56

54

48

Abu Dhabi (n=1160)

Al Jazeera (n=1159)

Dubai TV (n=1127)

MBC(n=1200)

LBC (n=1130)

CNN (n=536)

BBC (n=233)

Very/Somewhat unreliable Neither Somewhat reliable Very reliable

Source: InterMedia Surveys, July 2003

A Look at Jordan ─ Demographic Groups in this Market

A complex and vibrant media market...

An active UN presence with various constituentsreceiving services...

A Look at Jordan’s Market ─ Most Important Sources of Information,

Urban & Rural Dwellers

45

5565

34

1922

917 16

8 6

14

JTV 1 AlJazeera

SyrianTV

AmmanFM

AbuDhabi

TV

AlManar

UrbanRural

A Look at Jordan’s Market ─ Most Important Sources of Information,

Gender as a Factor

51524848

1822

1315 11 13 125

JTV 1 AlJazeera

SyrianTV

AbuDhabi

TV

AmmanFM

BBCArabic

MaleFemale

A Look at Jordan’s Market ─ Most Important Sources of Information,

Age as a Factor

75

61

5245

32

4349 51

15

1016

2014 11

4

JTV 1 Al Jazeera Amman FM BBC Arabic

60+45-5930-4415-29

A Look at Jordan’s Market ─ Most Important Sources of Information,

Education as a Factor

36

48

6960

51

34

25

139

611

JTV 1 Al Jazeera Radio Jordan BBC Arabic

UniversitySecondaryPrimary

A Look at Jordan’s Market ─

Television Viewing

44% 39%

3%

JTV 1 Al Jazeera Al Manar

Which television stations do you watch…?

Most Often For EntertainmentFor News