An Internet presence is increasingly important to the future prospects of free-to-air (FTA) satellite TV channels in the Arab world, according to research from Arab Advisors Group.
Of 975 fully operational FTA channels broadcasting in October 2017 on regional satellites operated by Arabsat, Nilesat, Noorsat, Yahlive, Eutelsat, Gulfsat and Es’hailsat, Arab Advisors found 523 channels (53.6%) had an accompanying website. Many of them had enhanced portals that included a range of interactive services such as live streaming, search engines, online shopping, forums and advertising.“The results show that a majority of the 499 channels that have online presence lean more towards an enhanced online presence. Furthermore, 38.1% of channels with an online presence generate online revenues from their supporting online presence through methods that include online advertisement and online shopping, among others” said senior research analyst Hiba Al Atiyat.
“Almost 60.6% of the satellite channels have online presence for promotional purposes only and do not aim at generating online revenues. 37.3% of the channels that have online revenue generating features have an enhanced online presence,” she added.
