DUBAI – Okaz, one of the oldest newspapers in the Kingdom, jumped three places from ninth in last year's rankings to take sixth position this year in the Forbes Middle East rankings of Top Newspapers Online in the Arab World. Presenting the list for the third consecutive year, the Forbes team revealed the rankings at an awards ceremony held on Wednesday at Al Meydan Hotel in Dubai. Forbes Middle East also acknowledged the achievements of editors-in-chief and other key figures from daily newspapers that earned spots on the latest rankings. Saudi Gazette, a sister publication of Okaz, finished 35th in the rankings, but had the distinction of finishing among the top ten websites with the growing number of new visits. The English daily from the Kingdom also ranked 34th in social media exposure, a growing visibility in a world where social media is playing an increasing influential role. While Al Ahram from Egypt topped the overall list of websites, where number of visits to each site is concerned, another Egyptian newspaper, Al Youm Al-Sab'ea, came out on top by a significant margin, with total visits reaching 842.84 million during the one year research period, ending August 31, 2012. In second place was Al Riyadh from Saudi Arabia, which recorded 123.94 million visits during the same period. Ranking third in terms of total visits was Algeria's Echourouk el Youmi with 79.17 million visits, with the UAE's Gulf News following in fourth place with 77.12 million. Rounding out the top five is Al Ahram, which recorded a total of 74.52 million visits. The top ten for total visits included entries from six countries with the UAE recording three newspapers online and KSA, with Riyadh in fifth and Okaz (42.56 million visits including 12.60 million unique visits) in sixth, and Egypt recording two. Algeria, Kuwait and Jordan are all featured with one listing each. Forbes Middle East also unveiled the front covers for the latest issues of Forbes Middle East in both Arabic and English. Sami Al Qamzi, Deputy Chairman and Director of Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI), and Dr. Nasser Bin Aqeel Al Tayyar, President of Arab Publisher House, the exclusive publisher of Forbes Middle East, released the magazine covers. Dahen Shahin, Director General for Publishing at DMI and Executive Director and Chief Editor at Al Bayan Newspaper, and Abdul Hamid Ahmad, Editor-in-Chief at Gulf News, were present. “We are so happy to reveal this list for the third time. We believe strongly in supporting the media and emphasizing the importance of its role, which is greater now more than ever,” said Al Tayyar. Shahin said: “Forbes Middle East rankings and subsequent awards are renowned for their objectivity, accuracy and credibility amongst well-known journalism institutions. This ranking and the awards encourage us to develop the professionalism and performance of our website, spurring us to use new technologies which have been vital to our success.” Commenting on this year's list, Khuloud Al Omian, Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Middle East, said: “In comparison with last year, it is clear that print media is making strong progress in terms of content, quality and appearance. Furthermore, it is embracing technological advancements to further develop the publishing sector and enhance the traditional media that journalists and readers are so attached to.” Al Omian also expressed that, through this list, Forbes Middle East highlights the key role media is playing in spreading awareness among local communities regarding economic and social development. She also explained that by making strides in the realm of cyberspace, media in the Arab world is initiating positive change both within the industry and society. While there is a small presence of online news channels in the ranking, quantity is trumped by quality. Three entries feature with the UAE, Qatar and Russia each represented. Reigning supreme is the UAE's Al Arabiya, which recorded the highest number of online visitors with an impressive figure of 306.63 million, as well as 69.05 million unique visitors during the considered timeframe. Al Arabiya also achieved new visits of 21.48%. Following in close second is Al-Jazeera recording 277.89 million visits to its webpage, as well as 55.71 million unique visitors. Qatar's premier news service also achieved the highest average time spent on their website — 10 minutes and four seconds — as well as the highest average number of pages per visits with a figure of 3.49. Lastly Russia-based Rusiya Al-Yaum, which is headquartered in Moscow and broadcast in Arabic, makes an appearance on this list. The news channel surprises, albeit with a small following of 50.11 million visitors to the website, and 26.40 million unique visitors. — SG
