PRINT ADVERTISING IN THE UAE
PRINT ADVERTS IN THE UAE
Print in the United Arab Emirates is a small, concentrated and largely government-linked market, which makes it more about prestige and specific audiences than mass reach. The country supports a short list of established dailies – commonly counted as around four English and five Arabic titles – most affiliated with Dubai or Abu Dhabi government bodies. Readership has shifted steadily to digital for years, so advertisers increasingly treat print as a credibility and B2B channel running alongside the publishers’ far larger digital audiences.
With a mix of broad mass and a range of highly niche publications, Empire is able to offer print ad campaigns that are specific to your needs and guarenteed to reach your target audience in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al-Khaimah and Um Al Quwain
ADVERTISE IN THESE UAE PUBLICATIONS
With daily average circulation of 109,905 copies and 2.3 million visitors online, Gulf News is the leading, most widely circulated English-language news provider in the UAE and the Middle East, with print and digital media offerings.
The daily publication contains separate sections for News, Business, Sport, Entertainment (tabloid!) and Opinion (The Views).
GulfNews.com is the newspaper’s online site. While the newspaper and online site are similar, it also has specific online sections that do not feature in the newspaper – The Guides, Leisure, Life and Style and Multimedia.
The UAE’s weekly tabloid newspaper with a strong community focus. XPRESS is a free weekly community newspaper with separate editions for Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Published every Thursday, it covers news, leisure and entertainment and sports.
Its core strength lies in its hyper local content with emphasis on in-depth and investigative reporting. The newspaper’s distinctive coverage has not only endeared itself to large number of readers across various nationalities but also won it several prestigious awards since its March 2007 launch.
Launched back in 2005, wheels is an English motoring magazine produced in the UAE, bringing enthusiasts engaging automotive news, exclusive first drive reviews and colourful features before anyone else. With contributions from some of the most experienced journalists from the region and beyond, wheels boasts the largest circulation and readership of any automotive publication in the country.
Since 2009, Wheels has also been hosting the most coveted annual motoring awards in the Middle East, the Wheels Car of the Year, attended by the leading players from the auto industry. The digital version of the magazine, www.wheels.ae, is also available in Arabic and provides high quality content that readers have come to expect from a brand trusted and keenly followed for well over a decade and a half.
Published every Friday, Weekend Review carries a wide range of interviews and reports on political and social issues, adding to our understanding of what is taking place in the world around us.
Besides politics, Weekend Review has sections on the arts, books, and science, and will offer you some serious intellectual challenges with a variety of puzzles every week.
WatchTime, America’s best-selling luxury watch magazine, is also available in the Middle East, a timely addition to one of the world’s fastest growing markets for fine watches.
The international magazine has a combined monthly audience of more than 1 million unique readers with editions stretching from North America, South America, Europe, parts of Asia, including India, Japan, Korea, and China – and is now available across the Middle East region.
WatchTime Middle East is published quarterly and in its short life has already established itself as the regional authority on all aspects of the international watch industry.
A lively, intelligent, thought-provoking weekly magazine for all the family, covering exclusive stories on people, trends and lifestyle. Friday is a weekly magazine packed with inspirational fashion, beauty and travel, along with exclusive interviews with business leaders and ordinary people doing extraordinary things to help others.
Friday offers a broad range of features, primarily based on lifestyle and social issues, relevant to UAE expatriates and nationals. With its distinctive accent on people, trends and lifestyle, the magazine offers a broad range of articles for both men and women.
Its content and voice are guided by the needs and aspirations of the people of the UAE and their opinions, choices and needs, making the magazine a very strong platform for people to reach out and make a difference.
The No. 1 source for entertainment, lifestyle and fashion in the UAE, with news from Hollywood, Bollywood, Arabia, the Philippines and beyond. tabloid! is a leisure and lifestyle features section, published daily as Gulf News’ eye on the glamorous world of entertainment and fashion.
Its Saturday edition offers an expanded weekend read, including sections on lifestyle and travel.
First published more than 40 years ago, Al Ittihad, meaning, “united” in Arabic, is the first Arabic broadsheet daily newspaper in the UAE.
The paper has a daily circulation of 109,000 copies and was the first UAE newspaper available online.
The National, Abu Dhabi Media’s first English-language publication, is setting a new standard in quality journalism in English-language newspapers in the Middle East.
Since its launch in April 2008, The National has won 22 design awards, the most of any newspaper in the region. It has also quickly earned recognition from the major international news networks for the depth of its editorial coverage and balanced reporting.
The paper has a daily circulation of 65,000 copies.
InsideOut is a design-led interiors and property monthly magazine with exclusive coverage aimed at every discerning home lover.
The magazine showcases stylish local and international homes, beautiful gardens, high-end commercial design and innovative home products designed to inspire.
Exclusive interviews with the leading international personalities of the design world sit alongside profiles of the latest trends creating a stir in the industry. Its property section interviews architects, highlights upcoming residential properties from around the region and puts some of the best real estate investment options across the globe under the spotlight.
Zahrat Al Khaleej is the number 1 women’s lifestyle magazine in the Arab world.
Published weekly, it is aimed at 20-45-year-old women and their families, covering health, beauty, fashion, celebrity and lifestyle issues.
Al Bayan Newspaper is a one of the leading Arab and Khaleeji newspapers, characterized by credibility and transparency in monitoring the events and news of interest to the Arab world, through a network of correspondents and editors who seek the truth and bring a definite credibility to their news coverage.
Since its inception in 1980, Al Bayan Newspaper has been distinct from other local and Arabic newspapers in its news coverage and interest in local and Arab affairs, and was able to establish a good reputation and wide distribution, taking advantage of the advent and advancement of technology and online press, which have significantly increased its readership within and outside the Arab World.
First published in 2005, Emarat Al Youm Newspaper focuses on domestic issues, and issues of interest to Arab readers in the United Arab Emirates in its overall content, while complying with the professional requirements of journalism, that is based on accuracy, balance and objectivity, while endeavoring to meet the demands of its readers for knowledge and intelligent entertainment, seeking to adapt to global changes, and the developments of new reading and browsing habits, that are a part of present-day life.
Emirates 24|7 is the first and only English publication in the UAE providing the reader with first-rate business news. With its launch in December, 2007, the region, for the first time, has a publication worthy of its economic and financial dynamism.
Ara is a weekly variety magazine monitoring the pulse of the people and the community in their different variation. Ara dedicates to change the stereotype of Arab women, and build a different new image that respects her privacy, thought, femininity and her intelligence.
Issued every Tuesday, Ara magazine addresses the modern woman in various fields of life, and seeks to improve her perspectives and ideas.
Majid is the popular Arabic children’s comic magazine featuring some of the best- known and cherished characters in the Arab world. Launched in February 1979 and published weekly, Majid has grown to be one of the highest circulated publications in the Middle East. It gathers some of the region’s leading cartoonists, while encouraging interactivity with its young readers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What drives the cost of newspaper advertising in the UAE?
Print pricing varies by title, placement and format. Key factors include the publication’s circulation and readership, the section and page position, ad size, colour versus mono, whether it is a weekday or higher-readership weekend edition, and any premium positions such as front-page solus or covers. Special supplements carry their own rates. Empire negotiates and provides a tailored quote based on your titles and objectives.
Which titles reach which readers across the UAE?
English dailies Gulf News and Khaleej Times reach Western expats, professionals and the broad English-reading population including many South Asian readers. Arabic titles such as Al Bayan and Emarat Al Youm reach Emirati nationals and Arabic-speaking residents, valuable for government, finance and culturally rooted messaging. Many advertisers run parallel English and Arabic placements. Empire recommends the title mix that matches your audience.
What are the content and approval rules for print ads?
Print advertising is governed by Federal Decree-Law 55 of 2023 under the National Media Authority. Content must align with Islamic values, public morality and UAE national identity, and must avoid indecent imagery or misleading claims. Imagery and wording around dress, gender and religion need care. Publishers review submissions before printing. Empire handles approvals and adapts creative to meet local standards.
Is there a seasonal pattern to print advertising in the UAE?
Yes. Ramadan brings heavier editions, special supplements and strong reader engagement, making it a prime but competitive window. The Dubai Shopping Festival period generates significant retail and promotional advertising. Summer typically quietens as residents travel, which can ease availability. National Day in December also lifts brand and corporate advertising. Empire plans insertions around these peaks and your launch timing.