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Yahoo! targets bigger share of ME online advertising
CEO says company well positioned to build on market leadership in local online ad sales
Yahoo! is already the market leader in online advertising in the region.
(Getty Images)
Yahoo! Maktoob aims to capitalize on an expected boom in the online advertising market in the region.
Carol Bartz, CEO of Yahoo! said that its MENA arm Yahoo! Maktoob is already the leading provider of online advertising space in the Middle East, with 40% market share.
Online advertising only accounts for 2% of all advertising in the region, but demand is taking off, Bartz said, with online advertising likely to eat into print and television advertising.
"Year-on-year growth is anywhere between 25-30%, from an awfully low base, but it is coming fast, so Yahoo wants to be there and be ready, and we absolutely believe we will," Bartz said.
The Middle East online advertising market is mainly being developed by big brands at present, along with luxury brands, Bartz said. The company also expects to see more advertising in the region that integrates campaigns on TV and the internet at the same time. Research by Yahoo! showed that around 30% of people watching TV are also using a laptop, tablet or other screen device at the same time, which will drive a market for advertising and content that links the programme on television with the end user device.
Vinod Mehra
Competition is heating for the advertising $ in the middle East. The pie has become bigger and being shared among many. Group buying machine are a real threat for advertising revenue for the search engine.