Sixteenth International Conference on Technology, Knowledge & Society

Abstract

Arab media have experienced huge transformations in the past twenty years due to the digital revolution that presented many media organizations with serious challenges. It is clear that Arab media in the first two decades of the 21st Century are more converged, more diversified, but less able to secure sustainable funding for their operations. Advertising spending in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been receding, while digital marketing communications are gaining more momentum. One strategy traditional Arab Media have adopted is to capitalize on online digital/networked resources to attract more audiences and engagement. Another strategy is to change their business models through convergence. Traditionally single-media based models of Arab Media are no longer viable, as media organizations seem to branch out into more diversified operations, covering the full gamut of communications in the print, broadcast, and online spheres. One of the main implications of these transitions has been the preparation of professional communicators who are able to handle multiple media assignments, and deal with different contents. This paper analyzes media such as Dubai Media Incorporated, Abu Dhabi Media Company, and Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC) to identify transitions in their structures and operations as per digital transformations. The writer argues that media transformations reflect the overall digital disruptions impacting all aspects of life in the MENA region. This issue should be addressed from a wide range of perspectives, including the technological, social economic, and cultural.