With its acquisition of Arabic portal Maktoob, Yahoo could add up to 16 million Arabic language users to its base. Yahoo says it already has 20 million users in the Arab world.
Despite the financial crisis, Yahoo says that the Arab online ad market is still growing, up to 50% per year. Yahoo paid around $75 million for the portal, and plans to create a new division called Yahoo Middle East.
Paid Content adds that Yahoo’s products will be translated into Arabic, and that its content will be Arabized, starting with Mail and Messager.
Yahoo’s expansion into the Middle East highlights the attractiveness of emerging economies as markets less susceptible to the financial downturn. The ad market is young and not well exploited and use bases are growing. The viability of the Arab world as a market for Yahoo, despite middling internet penetration levels and a lack of credit cards for online purchases bodes well for the rest of the developing world.
About the author: Theresa Carpenter Sondjo is an entrepreneur and web developer. She lives in Cotonou, where she and her partner run
People Online. Their mission is simple:
la mise en ligne du Bénin. Follow her on Twitter at
@theresac.
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Yahoo! to expand into Arabic market
With its acquisition of Arabic portal Maktoob, Yahoo could add up to 16 million Arabic language users to its base. Yahoo says it already has 20 million users in the Arab world.
Despite the financial crisis, Yahoo says that the Arab online ad market is still growing, up to 50% per year. Yahoo paid around $75 million for the portal, and plans to create a new division called Yahoo Middle East.
Paid Content adds that Yahoo’s products will be translated into Arabic, and that its content will be Arabized, starting with Mail and Messager.
Yahoo’s expansion into the Middle East highlights the attractiveness of emerging economies as markets less susceptible to the financial downturn. The ad market is young and not well exploited and use bases are growing. The viability of the Arab world as a market for Yahoo, despite middling internet penetration levels and a lack of credit cards for online purchases bodes well for the rest of the developing world.