Maghreb TV rakes in ad revenue

Privately owned satellite channels across the Maghreb region are seeing huge increases in advertising revenue. However Morocco’s state broadcaster, The Société Nationale de Radiodiffusion et de Télévision (SNRT) and its seven affiliated channels, has not been quite so lucky. Industry observers have said channels specifically geared towards attracting audiences from across the Maghreb are threatening state media, while pan-Arab broadcasters like Al Jazeera and MBC continue to hamper advertising revenues at SNRT. Algerian channel Beur TV has reportedly attracted significant Moroccan advertising contracts, after it began broadcasting to the Maghreb two years ago. Another all-Maghreb channel, Nesma TV, has experienced a similar boom. At €398m, Morocco's advertising market is still the largest in Maghreb. Advertising costs for television rose by 15 percent between 2001-2012, with telecomm corporations dominating markets in Morocco and Maghreb.