Ikoo, the largest advertising network in the Middle East and North Africa, has signed a series of exclusive contracts with new publishers and partners. This network expansion will add to the extensive portfolio of publishers that consists of more than 120 websites.

With year-on-year sales that have doubled over the first two months of 2010, Ikoo has set out to capitalise on its success by taking on the role of sole media representative for leading Saudi dailies Al-Riyadh (alriyadh.net) and Okaz (okaz.com.sa), in addition to tdwl.net, aljamaheir.net, alrams.net, and sohbanet.com.

Since its launch in 2005, Ikoo has been busy establishing premium partnerships with the region's leading portals and top publishers. Today, it attracts over 35 million users, serving more than 1.4 billion monthly pageviews. These make it ideal for advertisers looking to reach the maximum possible audience through themed sub-networks including sport, automotive, women, news, social media and business.

Both Al-Riyadh and Okaz are among the top print newspapers in Saudi Arabia, and having both of their online offerings as partners can only enhance Ikoo's network among top publishers, not only in the Kingdom but across the region.

Meanwhile, tdwl.net is at its peak as a financial website, and adds a further string to Ikoo's bow in this important field. And Ikoo's partnership with sohbanet.com, alrams.net and aljamaheir.net show how the advertising network is prepared to diversify its portfolio throughout the Gulf and Arab world.

Across each of these properties — part of a its portfolio of over 120 web sites — Ikoo has exclusive rights to certain advertising units. This range will enable it to use its status as sole media representative to manage the best possible placements.

Meanwhile, a further agreement — for two years — with the region's premier digital media planning platform, Effective Measure, brings with it a transparent system for advertisers and publishers that will further fuel online advertising spending and growth. With the increased demand for digital advertising in the region, Effective Measure's measurement tools have become necessary for planning intelligent online advertising campaigns.

Announcing the extent the new partnerships and initiatives would have on his company, Ikoo CEO Isam Bayazidi said he was looking forward to "expanding our business into new areas and raising our profile even further within the industry, and at the same time help young entrepreneurs in generating revenues that will support their plans and ambitions to maintain and grow their websites."

He added: "When it comes to online advertising, Ikoo is by far the leading advertising presence on the internet in the Arab world. Over the years, we have succeeded in building an audience of millions of consumers from all walks of life.

"And now, with these partnerships having been established, and our offerings significantly diversified through the premium nature of these web sites, we have a fantastic opportunity to grow our business in a wide range of new ways."