Satellite dishes on rooftops in Cairo, Egypt. Photo: Cliff Hellis (Flickr)

[Via Satellite 06-29-2015] In a study of 724 fully operational satellite Free-to-Air (FTA) television channels targeting the Arab World, 505, or approximately 70 percent also have an online presence, according to research from Arab Advisors Group. The research firm further discovered that 91 percent of TV channels with an online site have an enhanced presence through corresponding portals. The portals portray the channels’ services.

“The analysis reveals that a majority of the 505 channels that have an online site choose to have an enhanced online presence. Furthermore, 24.6 percent of channels with an online presence generate online revenues from their supporting online presence, such as: online advertisement and online shopping,” Hind Qweider, senior research analyst at Arab Advisors wrote in the report.

Arab Advisors notes that the increasing uptake of the Internet service in the Arab World has led several channels to establish an online presence. According to the “Online Presence of FTA Satellite Channels in the Arab World 2015” report, a number of satellite channels with basic online presence, where the integration between the satellite channel and its content and service availability is relatively weak, demonstrate their intention of enhancing their online services.

“Almost 42.5 percent of the satellite channels have online presence for promotional purposes only and do not aim at generating online revenues,” said Dalia Haddad, Arab Advisors senior research analyst, adding, “23.5 percent of the channels that have online revenue generating features have an enhanced online presence.”