Emirates Business 24/7 reports that a panel of media experts at a conference at the Dubai Press Club, believe that current financial crisis, and fast changing demographics, will turn as much as 80 per cent of advertising to digital platforms.

The conference, titled "Coping with Change, Yes, We can", held by the Press Club in association with Knowledgeview, delved into the changing face of the media against the backdrop of technological advancements and financial crisis.

Echoing the findings of the latest edition of the Arab Media Outlook 2008-2012, some speakers said that broadband would make a strong impact on the media scene, bringing better efficiency and cost-effectiveness. "In an age when virtual communities are constantly formed on the basis of common caused and disbanded soon after the causes are no longer relevant, there will be a drift away from print toward the digital sphere," pointed out Richard Withey, former Global Media Director for Independent News and Media in Britain.

In fact, the new edition of the Arab Media Outlook, the ground-breaking media analysis recently brought out by Dubai Press Club in conjunction with PricewaterhouseCoopers, has revealed that demographic factors are among the principal reasons why the Arab World is most suitable for the growth of new forms of media, such as digital media and mobile TV.

The report based its conclusions on extensive research in 12 Arab countries, says that one common feature across all 12 markets is that young people make up a relatively high percentage of the population. "Over 50 per cent of the population in Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco and Egypt are estimated to be currently less than 25 years old, while in the rest of the countries the under-25 'net generation' makes up around 35 per cent to 47 per cent of total population," said the report.

Illustrating these observations through a case study on the success of Maktoob.com, the Arabic web-based e-mail solutions, the report says the launch of the website constituted an important milestone in the region's Internet development. With a user base of over 13 million, the portal has expanded from a mail program into a diverse community, creatively exploiting a wide range of Web 2.0 services including e-mail, discussion forums, news, blogs, instant messaging facilities, games, mobile services and content for women, Outlook points out.