Emarat Al Youm site Arab World's favourite

The Dubai-based Arabic newspaper 'Emarat Al Youm' of Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI) topped the list of the most powerful and widely read newspapers online in the UAE and the Gulf, according to the 'Forbes-Middle East' magazine.

The Forbes list comprised 63 dailies on the internet in the Arab World in 2011.

Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Shaikh, Managing Director of DMI. (FILE)

Forbes also mentioned that 'Emarat Al Youm' leaped 19 rankings this year, bagging the third place among the most powerful and widely read online papers in the Arab World, and the first position among other UAE and Gulf papers.

The average time readers spent on 'Emarat Al Youm' site is more than 10 minutes, according to the magazine.

Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Shaikh, Managing Director and Director-General of DMI, said: "This achievement is a clear proof of readers' trust in Dubai media's openness and transparency."

Sami Al Reyami, Editor-in-Chief, Emarat Al Youm. (FILE)

He stressed that DMI units (audio-visual and print) are guided by the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice- President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. He added that media needs to reflect the reality of the community and its hopes and aspirations.

He also praised the efforts of 'Emarat Al Youm' staff and their determination to excel by focussing on the concerns of Emiratis as well as residents of the UAE. 

DMI will support all pilot projects aimed at progress, he said and added that the Leadership's strong co-operation is behind such success.

Kholoud Al Amyan, Editor, Forbes - Middle East, said, 'Emarat Al Youm' has the audacity to present a wide range of topics unlike other newspapers, especially in the UAE and the Arab press in general. The paper is superior to its counterparts as it focusses on local readership, she added.

'Emarat Al Youm' newspaper offers outstanding journalism. UAE readers find it making a difference in their lives and so also its website  - that came in the first place at the level of newspapers in the UAE, she said.

According to Forbes data the number of visitors to the website rose from 3.35 million last year to 4.7 million in the first nine months of 2011.

And the number of visits rose from 12.8 million last year to 15 million between January and October 2011.

Forbes said the newspaper website jumped to the third position on the list of the most powerful newspaper on the internet in the Arab World, after it attracted more than one million visitors between July and August this year. This is an astronomical number in a country which has less than two million Arabic-speaking people. 

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