According to Sharjah-based Alkhaleej Newspaper, media institutions earned roughly Dh5.3 billion from commercial advertisements in 2011. The data showed that newspapers were the most popular advertising option, accounting for more than half the income. According to the data, newspapers earned Dh3.1bn from commercials last year, accounting for nearly 59% of the total. Meanwhile, magazines earned Dh848 million (16%),  while TV advertisements earned Dh583m (11%). 

According to the job-search website Monster, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are the two countries in the Middle East that have had the most increase in online hiring activity. The UAE has seen an annual growth rate of about 7%, while Saudi Arabia has experienced a staggering 52% annual growth rate. The report notes that job listings in sectors like healthcare, education and banking & finance are maintaining this positive trend.

According to a survey published by the Gulf Recruitment Group, the majority of UAE firms will be hiring new employees in the coming year. The survey reveals that 93% of employers in the UAE anticipate increasing their headcount in 2012. “UAE companies including multinationals and leading local companies have expressed strong confidence that 2012 will see accelerated business activity and with this greater hiring in the UAE and the wider region. Our market review suggests it will be a good start to the year when it comes to hiring in the UAE,” the Gulf Recruitment Group said in a report.

Google has launched its Voice Search feature in Arabic. With users increasingly accessing the internet with their mobile phones, the Voice Search feature facilitates the search process by allowing users to search for things using their voices. Voice Search uses Google’s speech recognition technology to turn voice into text, and run a search via Google.

According to industry sources, the Al Jazeera network may launch an IPO as early as next year as the government of Qatar looks to offload stakes in state-owned companies. The government is said to be keen on divesting stakes in a number of large state-owned entities, like the Al Jazeera network and Qatar Airways. "Al Jazeera would like to list next year subject to regulatory approvals and market conditions," said Olivier Gueris, chief operating officer at Qatar Exchange, in an interview with Reuters at a conference in Dubai.

According to industry experts, the demand for media professionals in the UAE has increased over the past year. According to Lama Ataya, Chief Marketing Officer of Bayt.com, there has been "an increase in demand for bilingual PR professionals and copywriters, with industry-specific experience. Arabic content writers, specifically for the web, are also highly sought. Our latest job index survey revealed that the skill UAE employers need in their new hires is ability to communicate effectively in both English and Arabic (55 per cent)”. 

According to the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), the UAE could begin cutting telecommunication rates by the end of this year. The TRA, which oversees the communication sector in the UAE, said it has presented rate cut proposals to the two telecom operators, Etisalat and du.

Twitter has unveiled its most recent feature additions. The microblogging network has been introducing several new features over the past few months. The features allow users to see who likes their posts, and what the people they follow are doing on the network.

The new 'Pending Post' feature on Facebook now allows users to have more control over what is shown on their homepage. Users can approve pictures they are 'tagged' in and control who can view their status updates.

The UAE has again rejected any bid by the private sector to appoint expatriate women in their public relations section, saying this job will remain restricted to Emiratis, newspapers in the country reported on Saturday.