Ipsos-Stat reveals dramatic changes in Arab television ratings

The biggest surprise in the ratings, conducted while the war in Lebanon was taking place from July 15 to 28, was the emergence of Hezbollah's 'Al Manar' as the number 10 station, despite only ranking at number 83 in the previous survey period. With its studios bombed three times and its news broadcasting from secret bunkers, the station not only managed to remain on air but blitz the ratings.

However, the clear choice for viewers in the Arab world for breaking and accurate news on the Lebanon conflict was Al Arabiya, with 40% of Arab viewers tuning in. Al Arabiya achieved its highest ratings to date - 230 points compared to 171 points for Al Jazeera. It drew twice the viewers than its closest competitor with 17% of the population tuning in to Al Arabiya on a monthly basis compared to 12% for Al Jazeera.

News channels in general surged during the survey period, at the expense of music channels, whose viewership decreased while entertainment channels remained relatively stable.

The survey considered all classes and age groups in Saudi Arabia, the largest market in the region and a country which is representative of the entire Arab world both in terms on population and because of its diversity of Arab cultures.

The survey also showed a significant increase in the number of youths turning over to news channels as they watched the terrifying events unfold.

On July 12, when the war in Lebanon began and all news stations were taken by surprise, Al Arabiya was the first to broadcast full coverage from Beirut due to the station's ongoing presence in Lebanon.

The reporters from all stations on the front line, bringing the world this news, faced a harrowing experience.

"We found it almost impossible to stay objective while being asked to cover the massacre in Southern Lebanon," one report said. "We can't simply turn off our feelings while covering such stories; a journalist is still a human being with emotions and roots. However, we always provide witnesses and credible resources for professional objectivity, after all, our job is to cover the news."

And the world watched. The Ipsos-Stat survey also revealed that evening news ratings at Al Arabiya reached 13.71 points compared to 7.1 for Al Jazeera evening news, making the difference a significant 93% for Al Arabiya.

Viewers also tuned in to Al Arabiya's daily analysis of the conflict through shows such as "Lebanon Under Fire" which ranked at the 34th most popular program during the survey period scoring 4.2 rating points.