ePublishing - GCC

The ePublishing market in GCC is predicted to achieve a revenue of US$551.10m by 2024.
It is expected to exhibit an annual growth rate of 2.59%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$595.00m by 2027.
Among the various segments, ePapers Advertising dominates the market with a volume of US$264.40m in 2024.
The number of readers in the ePublishing market is anticipated to reach 9.0m users by 2027.
The user penetration rate is expected to be 6.8% in 2024.
The average revenue per user (ARPU) is estimated to be US$64.96.
In comparison to other countries, United States is projected to generate the highest revenue, amounting to US$21,770.00m in 2024.
The ePublishing market in the GCC is experiencing rapid growth, driven by increasing internet penetration and a strong demand for digital content in the region.

Key regions: India, South Korea, United Kingdom, China, United States

Market

Region

Region comparison

Currency

Analyst Opinion

Although the ePublishing market has seen many attempts to establish popular business models (e.g., subscription-based services), the market still hasn’t succeeded in reaching a significant shift of user numbers towards subscriptions. Services offering unlimited access like Readly are lacking comprehensive portfolios of wide-reaching and popular publications such as big newspapers or magazines as those prefer to sell their electronic versions on their own. In this context, Apple could be a glimmer of hope to have the lasting traction to combine meaningful content from major publishers into one single service.

Methodology

Data coverage:

The data encompasses B2C enterprises. Figures are based on the ePublishing market. ePublishing is defined as paid editorial/written content distributed over the internet, including eBooks (fiction, non-fiction, and academic publications), digital editions (replicas) of consumer and trade/business magazines (eMagazines), as well as daily or weekly newspapers (ePapers). All monetary figures refer to consumer spending on digital goods or subscriptions in the respective market. This spending factors in discounts, margins, and taxes.

Modeling approach / market size:

The market size is determined through a bottom-up approach. We use annual financial reports of the market-leading companies and industry associations, third-party studies and reports, survey results from our primary research (e.g., the Statista Global Consumer Survey), as well as performance factors (e.g., user penetration, price per product, usage) to analyze the markets. To estimate the market size for each country individually, we use relevant key market indicators and data from country-specific industry associations, such as various macroeconomic indicators, historical developments, current trends, and reported performance indicators of key market players. In particular, we consider average prices and annual purchase frequencies.

Forecasts:

We apply a variety of forecasting techniques, depending on the behavior of the relevant market. For instance, the S-curve function and exponential trend smoothing are well suited for forecasting digital products and services due to the non-linear growth of technology adoption. The main drivers are GDP per capita, consumer spending per capita, and 4G coverage.

Additional notes:

The data is modeled using current exchange rates. The market is updated twice a year in case market dynamics change. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is considered at a country-specific level. The data is modeled using current exchange rates. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war are considered at a country-specific level. The market is updated twice a year. In some cases, the data is updated on an ad hoc basis (e.g., when new, relevant data has been released or significant changes within the market have an impact on the projected development). GCS data is reweighted for representativeness.