Sky News Arabia has announced the launch of its radio broadcasting service in the UAE via 90.3 FM as of July 30.

The move is in line with the network's vision to emerge as an integrated news platform that offers accurate and unbiased reporting through television, radio, digital applications and social media.

Through this new service, Sky News Arabia looks to cut across channels and media outlets in a bid to reach diverse audience segments that use varied media platforms to get the latest news.

Commenting on this development, Nart Bouran, Head of Sky News Arabia, said: "The move towards radio broadcasting is a logical and inevitable one for any regional network today that seeks to enrich its audience in UAE with a new media platform.

"Our audience will receive comprehensive news bulletins 24/7 that cover a gamut of Arab and international news developments in real time.

"This coverage will include news focused on politics, economy, sports as well as art and culture.”

He added: "This decision complements our aspiration to transform the network into an integrated media platform that provides news from diverse sources as part of its commitment to the motto ‘Now and From Everywhere'. In addition to offering high quality media content through television, website, mobile applications, social media platforms and radio newscasts via some radio stations in Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Iraq, and Lebanon, the live and continuous radio broadcast service from the UAE will enable radio listeners in the country to get the latest news wherever it breaks.”

According to IPSOS MediaCT, 67 per cent of Arab radio listeners tuned in to radio stations in the UAE in 2015. The country is also one of the fastest growing markets for radio broadcasting.

According to statistics published in a section of the local media in 2014, this growth may be attributed to the UAE's residents spending considerable periods of time on the road driving their cars or stuck in traffic.

Motorists spend an average of three to four hours daily driving in the UAE compared to 15 minutes in other countries in the region, making radio one of the most preferred media platforms in the country.

Sky News Arabia has earlier launched radio broadcasting services in several Arab countries including Iraq, Palestine, and Lebanon.

The service has received high uptake from radio listeners and followers in these countries.
Source: The Gulf Today