Al Arabiya is the most watched news channel in Iraq according to latest results from a Stat Ipsos survey on viewership in the country. The Dubai-based channel was considered the most popular choice for news information. According to the same survey, the news channel ranks second after state-run Al Iraqiya in terms of family and general programming.
Two thousand six hundred and sixty-eight (2,668) people aged 15+ from different regions throughout the country were directly surveyed for the study of which 50.2% of respondents were male. The study showed that 41% of the sample chose Al Arabiya as their prime source of news while 46% of respondents follow Al Iraqiya. Sharqiya news channel was ranked third with 39% while MBC1 and 2 were ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.
Al Arabiya viewership was double its main regional competitor – Al Jazeera – which was ranked sixth. The study showed Al Arabiya’s peak viewership during hourly news bulletins especially in the evening after 1800 GMT.
