Shock Middle East, the UAE radio network behind Dance FM, Heart FM and Radio Hala, announced that it would air no more than two ads per commercial break before returning to music and content. Cameron Plant, group managing director at Shock, said: “Our promise is simple: give listeners what they want, less ads, more music, more content and provide clients with an environment where they receive maximum brand recall and exposure.”
Saudi-based online entertainment Uturn Group in November joined forces with digital media company Webedia to create Webedia Arabia. The company now forms one of the largest Arabic digital networks, with 30 million followers across social platforms, 24 million YouTube subscribers and 4 million unique monthly visitors on its digital publications.
Media representation company Choueiri Group in April announced the launch of its Brand4mance tool. The product can measure spikes in site visits after television adverts air, and determine what online activitycan be credited to TV advertising.
Omnicom Media Group in October announced the Middle East launch of its dynamic creative optimisation agency Adylic. It is headed by Raouf Ketani, who had led the Group’s analytics and technology consultancy Annalect in the region since 2016.
In May, Publicis Groupe announced the launch of Digitas, its “connected marketing agency” in the Middle East. The 50-person team in Dubai is led by CEO Tony Wazen.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau GCC announced in October that it would start a three-month research project to comprehensively size the region’s digital advertising market. The research will be led by Daniel Knapp from consultancy MTM.
Motivate Val Morgan, which is part of Campaign’s parent company Motivate Media Group, announced two major deals to sell cinema advertising in Saudi Arabia’s new movie theatres. MVM will work with cinema chains Muvi and AMC in the kingdom.
In May, online shopping platform Souq.com became Amazon.ae in the UAE. The switch came some two years after Amazon bought Souq for $580m in 2017. Amazon Prime was launched later in the year, and the platform will begin rolling out its advertising services in 2020.
Dubai-based radio network ARN in February launched an advertising platform, MPN (Multi-Platform
Network). MPN represents a range of commercial assets, including out-of-home advertising, creative
production, event sponsorships and social media.
10. THE MEDIA NETWORK CLOSES
In February Dubai-based PR and media website and newsletter The Media Network announced it was
ceasing operations after six years. Co-founders Michelle Kuehn and Jill Downie said “due to many other commitments, we feel the time is right to bid a heartfelt farewell”.