Governments continue to dominate terrestrial TV channels in the Arab World, according to a study.

Regulations and market dynamics have ensured that -except in a few countries- the number of terrestrial TV stations did not grow in the past few years, said the “Terrestrial TV in the Arab World December 2010” report released by the Arab Advisors Group.

There are 138 terrestrial TV stations broadcasting in 19 Arab countries. Palestine, Iraq and Egypt lead in the number of terrestrial TV stations, constituting 50.7 per cent of total terrestrial TV channels in the Arab World.

The majority of Palestine's and Iraq's terrestrial TV channels are privately owned and they constitute 86.2 per cent of total private terrestrial TV channels in the Arab World. Egypt has the largest number of government owned terrestrial TV channels. 

"Out of the 19 countries covered in the report, only Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon and Tunisia have operational private terrestrial TV channels. Libya, Morocco and Sudan have terrestrial TV channels that are jointly owned by the government and the private sector," said Noura Abdulhadi, Arab Advisors senior research analyst said.

"Arab Advisors Group’s analysis reveals that the vast majority of the nineteen covered countries still have full government ownership of the operational terrestrial TV channels."

The 25-page report, which has 22 detailed exhibits, provides a detailed analysis of the terrestrial TV channels in the 19 Arab countries of Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen. The report can be purchased from the Arab Advisors Group for $950. – TradeArabia News Service