The in-depth market research currently underway for the third edition of the Arab Media Outlook, the ground-breaking report on the current state of the Arab media from Dubai Press Club, will cover the changing media consumption habits in four significant media markets in the region - the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Lebanon.

The market research, being done for the first time since the report was launched three years ago, will exhaustively explore the changing media consumption across all platforms; print, online and television. The study, the first of its kind in the region, for the first time, will specifically assess the extent of the influence that increasing broadband penetration and use of social media wield on consumer preferences.

Value Partners, a leading global management consultancy firm with strong experience in telecom and, media, is the Press Club's knowledge partner for the preparation of the report this time. For the market research study, Dubai Press Club has tasked a major international firm to conduct the consumer market research in all the four markets. The results of the research will be woven into the report, which is slated to be released in the first week of February 2010.

Besides the intensive focus on four markets to discern media consumption habits, the report will also include a comprehensive assessment of current media trends and forecasts of media market scenarios in 15 Arab countries. Interviews with media experts in these countries - namely, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Sudan, Tunisia, the UAE and the Yemen - are scheduled to conclude by the end of November.

Apart from the creation and dissemination of media content in the region, the main thematic focus of the latest edition, the report will also touch upon growth patterns in the media, consolidation and integration of content across diverse platforms, the impact of the burgeoning new media on traditional media models, the role of government institutions and the latest collaborative telecom-media partnerships. Another key area that the report is expected to throw light on is the effect of global economic downturn on the media regionally and globally.

Though the previous edition of the report drew attention to the potential impact of the economic downturn, it stopped short of offering an analysis since the downturn had just started to unfold at that time.

Alongside the Arab Media Forum and Arab Journalism Award, the Arab Media Outlook is part of Dubai Press Club's pioneering initiatives aimed at the overall development of the media sector in the Arab world. The report is considered one of the most reliable sources of authentic information and data on media trends in the Arab world for media persons and experts, public policy experts, governments, students and advertisement firms.