Hello! Middle East enters agreement with The Sunday Times

The world's most famous celebrity magazine is pleased to announce the joint promotion with the world's most famous newspaper for the first time in the UAE. Hello! and The Sunday Times - two globally recognised brands have joined forces to promote their respective Middle East titles.

The Middle East edition of Hello! — the world's number one celebrity magazine — was launched in April 2005 by Motivate Publishing and mixes news along with the best coverage from the world of glamour, plus a hint of regional flavour. With revealing interviews, world exclusive photos and royal insights, Hello! Middle East is the only title in the UAE's celebrity magazine market that is able to qualify its circulation leaving its competitors rightly envious.

Hello! Middle East with an average print run of 17,473 copies, recently had its initial circulation audit statement released showing an impressive qualified circulation of 12,402 copies per week. The BPA statement for the period April to June 2007 boasts over 75% qualified paid circulation.

Ian Fairservice, Group Editor & Managing Partner of Motivate Publishing commented: "In 2004 Motivate Publishing was a major driving force in pushing for a meaningful audit process for Middle East magazines. We decided to appoint BPA due to their strict methodology and the international recognition of their audits. Today Motivate continues to lead the way towards total transparency for its advertisers which is critical to maintaining international standards and integrity. Increasingly, we are seeing a return on our investment in circulation audits through growth in advertising bookings but there is still some way to go before all agencies and MBUs plan their schedules based the reliable data which these audits provide."

The Times and The Sunday Times are two of the world's most famous newspapers, reaching over 3.5 million readers in the UK. With a daily circulation of over 15,000 copies, a readership of 50,000 across the Middle East region and a newly-launched website (www.thetimesme.com), The Times and The Sunday Times international editions combine award-winning journalism, incisive commentary and in-depth business news with the best of culture, art, sports, features and celebrity columns.

SAB Media has a long-term licensing deal with The Times, The Sunday Times, and associated products in the Middle East. Launched on May 21, 2007, the move marks the first time a leading international daily is printed and distributed widely in the region on the day of publication.