VIENNA, Virginia – April 7, 2010—Pointing the way to profitable journalism in the 21st century, Egypt’s Al Ahram Regional Press Institute joined with the USAID-funded Media Development Program to host a major conference, “Market Research and Media: Challenges and Opportunities,” on April 13 and 14 in Cairo. The conference shared MDP media market research results and showed how media outlets can use the data to reach new customers and revenue. Assisting Egyptian media in collecting research data and using them as a basis for successful business strategies is a core objective of MDP. The conference was covered in Al Ahram and Rosa Al Yousef.

Dr. Abdel Moneim Said, Chairman of the Al Ahram Publishing Group, opened the event. The first day of the conference presented updated data from MDP’s comprehensive tracking of how the public uses different types of news media in major Egyptian cities. MDP partner, D3 Systems discussed how the updates show changes in Egyptians’ media habits since the original research in 2007. Speakers addressed how some media have benefited from market research, and then held a panel discussion about the importance of market research for media organizations and advertising buyers.

Al Ahram Market Research Conference

Tracking research indicates that cable and Egyptian and international satellite television as well as Internet use for all purposes has increased dramatically in the Egyptian cities of Alexandria and Cairo, while some traditional media usage has declined. The change is most dramatic in Alexandria, where newspaper readership has declined as more Egyptians look to cable and satellite television and the Internet for news.

At the conference were speakers from the United Kingdom and the US. D3 System’s Research Director Karl Feld disseminated the Cairo and Alexandria audience tracking research from 2007 to late 2009 and analyze resulting trends. D3 is the MDP consortium member responsible for media market research. Other Egyptian research firms also discussed their media consumption findings.

The second day inclued a panel discussion covering how market research can impact content and its presentation in different Al Ahram publications.

The MDP survey cited here was conducted for MDP by Ipsos Stat Egypt of Cairo, with oversight by D3 Systems of Vienna, Virginia, USA. Interviews were conducted in person by native Egyptians of the general, adult population who were selected at random. In Alexandria, 1,500 Egyptians aged 15 and up were surveyed in 2007 and 2009. No weighting was applied in either case. Margin of sampling error for Alexandria is /- 3%.

About the event organizers:

The Ahram Regional Press Institute is the main training arm of the Al Ahram Organization, which publishes 16 newspapers and journals including Al Ahram, Egypt’s largest newspaper and the oldest newspaper in the Arab world. The establishment also operates six specialized centers including the Al-Ahram Center for Strategic Studies and the Ahram Center for Translation and Publishing.

MDP is a five-year media strengthening program funded by USAID/Egypt. Working in collaboration with Egyptian partners, the program seeks to improve the professionalism, sustainability and economic performance of the Egyptian media sector. MDP collaborating partners include Management Systems International, IREX, CARE and D3 Systems.