Ever since the start of the Arab Spring in 2011, there has been considerable interest in the role that social media plays in the Middle East, and how this enabling technology can act as a tool for discourse and information sharing. Although the role of social media as an agent for cultural and...

Selling products related to publisher activities is nothing new. But over recent years, the breadth, range, and scope of eCommerce opportunities available to publishers has expanded greatly.This report looks in-depth at those publishers harnessing eCommerce to great effect, including BuzzFeed,...

In recent years, the Middle East’s information and communication landscape has changed dramatically. Increasingly, states, businesses, and citizens are capitalising on the opportunities offered by new technologies, the fast pace of digitisation, and enhanced connectivity. These changes are far...

The latest World Press Trends report shows that business sentiment in the industry has taken a downturn, in a context where multiple challenges face news publishers around the world. Yet there are causes for optimism, as revenue diversification progresses and publishers double down on new...

This paper plays out against a backdrop of continued closures and diminished local news reporting across much of the United States. It explores the role that media policy can and should play in supporting local journalism. In examining this topic, we investigate three fundamental questions: What...

This annual report, the eleventh in a series dating back to 2012, provides an in-depth analysis of the current state of social media in the Middle East. As the most comprehensive and up-to-date study of its kind, it is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the region's digital...

For the first time, this report brings together the most popular accounts originating in MENA on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter. Each of these platforms is explored in more detail in this report, but below we outline the account with the largest number of followers, likes and...

This is the tenth report in a series of annual studies exploring the latest social media trends across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Using a broad range of industry, academic and media sources, we dive into the trends - and biggest stories - which shaped MENA’s relationship...

Next-generation AI chatbots are like London buses. You wait ages for one, and then three come along at once (ChatGPT, Google’s Bard AI and Microsoft’s new-look Bing).This has several significant implications for publishers, potentially shaking up everything from search to advertising and...

This edition of WAN-IFRA’s annual flagship research and report reveals an industry challenged but optimistic about its business. It examines the results of publishers’ business in 2021, their forecasts for 2022 and beyond, and the trends and issues shaping the industry. Our research shows...