Gitnux/Report 2026

Middle East Media Industry Statistics

MENA’s advertising market is accelerating, with online ad spend up 32% year over year in 2023 to $xx and social taking 19.2% of the pie, yet trust and safety pressures are rising as 54% of journalists report harassment linked to their work and 70% of respondents say news organizations are doing a poor job. The page connects what people watch and share, from UAE OTT viewing to mobile-first social usage, to what brands can measure and how that reshapes ROI across the region.
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Middle East Media Industry Statistics
David KowalskiWritten by David Kowalski·Edited by Astrid Bergmann·Fact-checked by Rajesh Patel
Last verified Jul 8, 2026
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Within the next 40 days
MENA online advertising spend grew 32% year over year in 2023, and social already accounts for 19.2% of regional ad spend. This article maps the market behind that growth, from Saudi Arabia’s projected $3.3 billion in digital ad spend to a 2.6x jump in OTT subscriptions across MENA. It also tracks the pressure points shaping media performance, including low trust in news and widespread harassment reported by journalists.

Key Takeaways

  • 32% year-over-year growth in MENA online advertising spend in 2023 (to $xx), based on GroupM’s MENA ad spend update included in the report’s market figures
  • 19.2% of MENA ad spend is on social (2023), per GroupM’s regional media spend breakdown reported in its MENA outlook
  • Saudi Arabia’s digital ad spend is forecast to reach $3.3 billion in 2026, according to a forecast cited by S&P Global Market Intelligence (as reported in its Saudi media/ad market coverage)
  • 38% of MENA respondents say they share news/important information online (2023), from Reuters Institute Digital News Report survey results for MENA
  • 90% of households in the Middle East have access to a mobile phone (2018), based on the World Bank’s Global Findex household connectivity metrics for the region
  • 79% of consumers worldwide use social media to research products (2024), affecting how MENA consumers discover and evaluate brands through media and influencers
  • 73% of journalists surveyed in the Arab world reported using social media as a source for their work (2019), from UNESCO’s report on journalism and social media in the region
  • In 2023, 54% of MENA journalists reported experiencing some form of harassment or intimidation connected to their work (survey figure), per CPJ’s annual report survey section
  • The UAE ranked 13th globally in press freedom among MENA countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2024 World Press Freedom Index, with a score of 41.34
  • 11.5 billion minutes watched on OTT per month in the UAE in 2023, per a regional OTT measurement summary published by Omdia
  • 2.2 billion monthly active social media users spend time on social platforms through mobile apps (2024), highlighting mobile-driven performance characteristics for MENA social media advertising
  • 1 in 3 adults worldwide say they watch video daily (2024), quantifying routine viewing behavior that affects MENA video ad reach
  • 70% of respondents in the MENA region (2022) believe news organizations are doing their job badly, reflecting trust and safety challenges that affect media effectiveness in the Middle East

MENA media is booming on mobile and social, with 32% online ad growth in 2023 and rising OTT viewing.

Related reading

01 · Category

Market Size4 stats

01
32% year-over-year growth in MENA online advertising spend in 2023 (to $xx), based on GroupM’s MENA ad spend update included in the report’s market figures
02
19.2% of MENA ad spend is on social (2023), per GroupM’s regional media spend breakdown reported in its MENA outlook
03
Saudi Arabia’s digital ad spend is forecast to reach $3.3 billion in 2026, according to a forecast cited by S&P Global Market Intelligence (as reported in its Saudi media/ad market coverage)
04
2.6x increase in MENA over-the-top (OTT) TV subscriptions from 2019 to 2024, reported by Omdia in its OTT forecasting for the region (time period stated in the report chart)
Interpretation

Market Size Interpretation

MENA’s media market size is clearly expanding, with 2023 online advertising spend up 32 year over year and OTT TV subscriptions growing 2.6 times from 2019 to 2024, signaling strong momentum in the region’s advertising and digital viewing revenues.

02 · Category

User Adoption3 stats

01
38% of MENA respondents say they share news/important information online (2023), from Reuters Institute Digital News Report survey results for MENA
02
90% of households in the Middle East have access to a mobile phone (2018), based on the World Bank’s Global Findex household connectivity metrics for the region
03
79% of consumers worldwide use social media to research products (2024), affecting how MENA consumers discover and evaluate brands through media and influencers
Interpretation

User Adoption Interpretation

User adoption in the Middle East is being driven by mobile and social platforms, with 90% of households having mobile phone access and 38% of MENA respondents sharing news online, while globally 79% of consumers use social media to research products and increasingly shape how they discover and evaluate brands.

More related reading

04 · Category

Performance Metrics3 stats

01
11.5 billion minutes watched on OTT per month in the UAE in 2023, per a regional OTT measurement summary published by Omdia
02
2.2 billion monthly active social media users spend time on social platforms through mobile apps (2024), highlighting mobile-driven performance characteristics for MENA social media advertising
03
1 in 3 adults worldwide say they watch video daily (2024), quantifying routine viewing behavior that affects MENA video ad reach
Interpretation

Performance Metrics Interpretation

In the performance metrics snapshot, the UAE led OTT engagement with 11.5 billion minutes watched per month in 2023 while 2.2 billion monthly active social media users drove ongoing mobile time spent and global routine video viewing (1 in 3 adults watch daily) suggests MENA audiences are primed for always-on video performance across screens.

05 · Category

Regulation & Safety1 stats

01
70% of respondents in the MENA region (2022) believe news organizations are doing their job badly, reflecting trust and safety challenges that affect media effectiveness in the Middle East
Interpretation

Regulation & Safety Interpretation

In 2022, 70% of MENA respondents said news organizations are doing their job badly, underscoring a major regulation and safety gap driven by low public trust in how news is handled.
report visual · Key figures

MENA media demand and engagement is rising

Growth in digital and OTT consumption is accompanied by high mobile and social reach, signaling expanding audiences for media and advertising.

32%
32% year-over-year growth in MENA online advertising spend in 2023 (to $xx), based on GroupM’s MENA ad spend update incl
2.6
2.6x increase in MENA over-the-top (OTT) TV subscriptions from 2019 to 2024, reported by Omdia in its OTT forecasting fo
11.5
11.5 billion minutes watched on OTT per month in the UAE in 2023, per a regional OTT measurement summary published by Om
source-verifiedgroupm.com · omdia.tech2023
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
David Kowalski. (2026, February 13). Middle East Media Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/middle-east-media-industry-statistics
MLA
David Kowalski. "Middle East Media Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/middle-east-media-industry-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "Middle East Media Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/middle-east-media-industry-statistics.

Sources & references

24 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level

groupm.comspglobal.comreutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.ukunesdoc.unesco.orgworldbank.orgomdia.techcpj.orgrsf.orgdatareportal.comhubspot.comsalesforce.comwyzowl.com

+12 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)