Why do they prefer foreign channels? by Abdul Qader Tash, Senior columnist, Arab News, Al Madina newspapers,
A field study recently conducted by an Arab university professor has revealed that a majority of Arab public prefer foreign TV channels to Arab stations. The findings have been confirmed by another survey by the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper.
Dr. Al-Qulaini of Ayn Shams University based her conclusions on the opinions of viewers in three Arab countries ‹ Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Morocco. She found that nearly 54 percent of her respondents preferred to watch foreign programs compared to 46 percent interested in Arab satellite programs.
Al-Hayat's study was based on the views of a broad spectrum of young men and women from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait and Syria. Only 33 percent of those questioned preferred Arab programs while 67 percent chose foreign ones.
These results should be of concern to researchers as well as those working in the Arab media, both in government and private sectors. we should ask why the Arab public, the younger generation in particular, prefer to watch foreign channels.
Both the studies have provided some answers. The factors that attract the young people to non-Arab programs are, according to Dr. Qulaini, three. First, foreign channels show respect for the intelligence of their viewers. Second, the respondents believe that foreign channels always take care to combine entertainment with useful topics. Third, foreign channels, especially news channels, carry news and events live, as much as they can and as soon as they take place.
As for Hayat's study, the major reasons the younger generation gave for their behavior were: quality production, freedom of expression, honesty in presenting social problems, advanced technology, fearlessness in choosing the topic and objectivity in coverage.
The facts revealed through these studies point to the increasing awareness among Arab viewers and the changes that have occurred in the world of media. It is illogical on the part of the Arab media, in government or private sectors, to still continue to deal with the public with the outlook of the sixties and seventies. In those days the people had no choice but to be satisfied with whatever information was supplied by the limited number of TV channels run by government agencies who had neither social awareness nor professional standards.
Arab satellite channels should urgently take steps to improve and update their programs to earn greater credibility among the public and satisfy their appetite for quality programs combining enjoyment and usefulness. This goal can be achieved only in an atmosphere where there is freedom of thought, a high standard of professionalism and generous investment in the rapidly developing media industry.
Source:
http://www.arabview.com/article.asp?artID=33
Linear Mode
