Around 80% of ads to shift to digital media in near future, says experts at seminar at Dubai Press Club

The conference, titled 'Coping with Change, Yes, We can,' held by the Press Club in association with KnowledgeView, delved deep into the changing face of the media against the backdrop of technological advancements and financial crisis.

Echoing the findings of the latest edition of the Arab Media Outlook 2008 - 2012, some speakers said that broadband would make a strong impact on the media scene, bringing better efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

"In an age when virtual communities are constantly formed on the basis of common caused and disbanded soon after the causes are no longer relevant, there will be a drift away from print toward the digital sphere," pointed out Richard Withey, former Global Media Director for Independent News and Media in the UK.

The main thrust of all the speakers was the primacy of the consumer in determining not only the forms and platforms of the media, but also the content and the delivery value chain. In a fast changing scenario, it is important for the media in the Middle East to prepare for the digital age, although traditional media are still an important factor today because the old forms of the media will soon cease to be profitable and popular, they suggested.

The seminar, which saw a detailed discussion on rapid changes in the media industry and the challenges posed by the current financial meltdown, was addressed by Richard Withey, former Global Media Director for Independent News and Media, Dr. Ali Al-Assam, Managing Director of KnowledgeView Ltd, Francis Matthew, Editor at large, Gulf News and Magdi Hannah, Press IT supervisor, Abu Dhabi Media company.

Holding that we are passing through a second industrial revolution currently, Dr. Ali Al-Assam said that the technologies available today, including the programs developed and marketed by KnowledgeView, facilitated incredible possibilities of integration across various media platforms.

"This not only makes the running of media organizations more effective and cheap, but also more in line with the expectations of the consumer, who I would like to call the 'pubsumer'," he explained.