Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Medialeader Acquires Rights to Represent Saudi’s Al Watan Newspaper; Partnership set to boost paper’s advertising sales across region


Dubai, UAE, 11th January 2011: Leading regional media representatives, Medialeader, announced it has recently obtained the rights to be the sole media representative of Al Watan newspaper, one of Saudi Arabia’s leading Arabic daily publications.
The agreement was signed by Alexandre Hawari, co-CEO, Medialeader and Hatim Hamed Mouminah, CEO, Aseer Establishment for Publishing and Printing, publishers of Al Watan newspaper.
The deal will see Medialeader further the paper’s profile in the Middle East and North Africa as one of the premium platforms for advertisers to reach into Saudi Arabia, the largest market in the GCC and one of the region’s leading economies in terms of growth. It also has the distinction of being the region’s biggest market in terms of advertising share and spend.
As one of the leading newspapers in Saudi Arabia with a circulation of 210,000, Al Watan newspaper provides advertisers an ideal opportunity in which to engage Saudi consumers and businesses. “We have chosen Medialeader to help us tap a growing list of advertisers who want to exploit the huge potential afforded by the Saudi market,” says Mouminah.
In less than a decade, Al Watan has grown from a small regional newspaper in Saudi Arabic to become one of the kingdom’s most read Arabic dailies, and the most quoted by international media, underscoring its growing prominence and prestige.
 “Medialeader brings to this partnership its in-house expertise and extensive knowledge of the media industry across the MENA region with offices in Algiers, Beirut, Dubai, Jeddah, Paris, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Tunis. We are delighted to be working with Al Watan, and are keen to leverage our 23 years experience to help strengthen its positioning as one of the leading newspapers in Saudi Arabia,” says Hawari, whose company represents a roster of leading media, including magazines, daily newspapers, TV networks and out-of-home media.
Hawari explains that Medialeader will be focusing its marketing efforts for Al Watan in the GCC and Levant, as well as key markets around the globe. “We will provide advertisers from all over the world the opportunity to target consumers and businesses in Saudi Arabia, a country cited for its continuing economic growth and future prospects,” he continues.
Al Watan’s addition to Medialeader’s portfolio of media titles reflects the company’s continuing thrust to increase its network in the region, and offers media agencies and advertisers a wide variety of advertising opportunities. Medialeader is a member of Mediaquest Corp, established in 1997 and one of the leading publishing houses in the Middle East and North Africa with over 17 consumer and trade titles covering business, marketing, communications, lifestyle, entertainment and women’s interest.
With over 150 employees worldwide, Mediaquest Corp. already publishes well-regarded titles including Trends, Arabies, GMR, Saneou Al Hadath, Communicate and the recently launched Dotmena.  Dotmena is positioned to become a leading network in the MENA region boasting 200 million impressions that promote business, marketing, communications, sports, women’s interest, lifestyle and entertainment websites and portals.  More recently, Mediaquest Corp. acquired several long-standing print and on-line media titles from The Media Factory including Autocar Middle East Magazine, F1 Racing Middle East Magazine, Policy, The Brief, and FourFourTwo.


Al Watan News Paper, Saudi Arabia:
§  Al Watan newspaper was established in 2000 by Aseer Establishment for Publishing and Printing.
§  Al Watan is an Arabic daily news and information publication focused on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
§  Al Watan is propelled by the vision of HRH Prince Khaled Al Faisal, who initiated the idea of establishing a national newspaper that reflects the pulse and lifestyle of Saudi Arabia, and seeks to engage a mass audience across all regions of the Kingdom. Prince Khaled’s vision has been strongly endorsed by a number of prominent Saudi investors, who believe in its potential to positively contribute to the Kingdom’s future.
§  In less than a decade, Al Watan Newspaper grew from a small regional newspaper in Saudi Arabia to becoming one of the top 3 most read Arabic dailies in the Kingdom (ranked by IPSOS & PARC) and tied for 1st place based on an independent bookshop audit conducted by PARC. Al Watan’s vision is to become the #1 most read newspaper in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by 2012. This growth has not only provided Al-Watan with local acknowledgment through being rated among the most credible local newspapers, but International as well by being the most quoted local newspaper by International Media.
§  In early 2009, Al Watan approached the readers in the Kingdom with its new identity, which marks a milestone for the newspaper that was by itself considered a milestone in the history of press in the Kingdom. This change is part of the need to focus on the larger part of the population which sparked the modernization of the newspaper and revamping the design and the content. Al Watan newspaper has also expanded its printing facilities across the Kingdom, making it the only Saudi daily that is printed every morning in four major cities within the Kingdom. The 48-pages of the new edition cover in depth Saudi affairs with a wide range of feature stories, news, analysis, lifestyle and reports.   Al Watan is committed to adding value to the lives of every Saudi by delivering to them the information relevant to their needs and wants.

Medialeader:
         Medialeader is part of Mediaquest Corp
         Founded in 1987 in Paris, Mediaquest Corp. now publishes in three languages with operations on three continents in Algiers, Beirut, Dubai, Jeddah, Paris, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Tunis.
         With over 150 employees and 17 consumer and trade titles covering business, marketing, communications, women’s interests, lifestyle and entertainment, Mediaquest Corp. is poised to become one of the leading media companies in the Middle East and North Africa.
         Recognizing our media, franchise owners, clients and colleagues as our principal assets, Medialeader is committed to setting the industry standard in customer service.
         Celebrated titles include Arabies Trends, Saneou Al Hadath, GMR, Communicate and Raceweek.
         Mediaquest Corp. recently acquired several long-standing print and on-line media titles from The Media Factory including Autocar Middle East Magazine, F1 Racing Middle East Magazine, Policy, The Brief, and FourFourTwo.

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