The average cost of a 30-second FM radio advertising spot continued its exponential rise in the Middle East in 2009, despite the impact of the recession.
A new report from Arab Advisors Group (AAG) found average advertising rates rose from $112 in 2008 to $125 in 2009, continuing an upward trend spanning back to 2006, when 30-second spots cost on average $101.
Pan-Arab radio broadcasters’ average advertising rates also exceeded their local rivals’ rates by a substantial margin, the report claimed.
“This could be explained by the fact that some pan-Arab radio stations are the only FM radio broadcasters operating in Saudi Arabia, the region’s largest consumer market,” the report, entitled An Analysis of FM Radio Advertising Rates in the Arab World, stated.
“In countries where radio stations are government-owned, the corresponding advertising rates are usually not as high as those radio stations under private ownership,” added AAG senior research analyst Issa Goussous.
The 102-page report provides a detailed analysis of FM Radio advertising rates in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman Qatar, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
