According to IPSOS MediaCT, audience figures for TV have doubled since the beginning of the political unrest in the region. However, despite the doubling growth, major Arabic news channels have witnessed a drop in advertising spending, where Al Arabiya news channel saw a 15 per cent decline since the beginning of the protests, The National has reported.

The main reason for the decline, according to Mazen Hayek, the group director of PR and commercial at the MBC Group, is that news channels are unable to accommodate as much advertising because of fewer commercial spots. Another problem cited by Hayek is that media agencies may be reluctant to change their spending plans, and that major brands are reluctant to book advertising on channels that carry breaking news because they do not want to risk being associated with scenes of violence.

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