Saudi Arabia set to introduce TV ratings system
Rebecca Hawkes | 08-10-2013
A new company to measure television audience numbers in Saudi Arabia is soon to be unveiled by the General Authority for Audio and Visual Media.
"The company will initially focus on TV channel ratings and will then expand to include radio broadcasting," Riyad bin Kamal Najm, president, General Authority for Audio and Visual Media, is quoted as saying in Arab News.
More details will be announced after the forthcoming Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha, he added.
The Middle East and North Africa has traditionally suffered from a lack of reliable TV audience measurement, which has been blamed for the stifled growth of the local media industry.
In a regional first in December 2012, Saudi's Gulf neighbour, the UAE launched its Tview ratings system – a service offered by Emirates Media Measurement Company and run by international research firm Kantar Media.
Shareholders in Tview include Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal's Rotana, in which News Corp holds a stake, Abu Dhabi Media, and telecommunications company Etisalat.