Times of Oman among top 10 newspapers in the region

Muscat: 'Times of Oman' has been named among the most influential newspapers in the GCC and Arab world in a new list that compares the impact of publications in the region.
The ranking, which has been created by Industry Arabic, a research and translation organisation, ranked Times of Oman ninth among the top papers in the Arab world, and was one of the only two English-language papers to enter into the top 10.
“One of Oman’s oldest English language papers, the 'Times of Oman' enjoys a wide readership within the country and abroad,” said the report. “The Times web presence and readership is significant. Like other English language media, the 'Times of Oman' originally targeted expats from the West working in the Gulf’s oil industry.
“However, due to the Indian diaspora within Oman and the Gulf in general, the paper has shifted its focus to accommodate this ever-growing market. As such, the paper often runs stories that cover current events occurring on the Indian subcontinent, as well as Indian pop culture,” Industry Arabic added.
In April 2020, around 25 million people visited the Times of Oman website. The only other English medium paper on the list was The Daily Star from Lebanon. Two Jordanian papers made to the top 10, including Ad Dustour, which was ranked first, and Al Ra’i, which came in fifth. Three publications from Egypt – Youm7 (2), Akhbar El Yom (8) and Al Ahram (10).
Two newspapers based in Qatar, 'Al Watan' is fourth and 'Al Sharq' is sixth, while another Lebanese publication An Nahar also featured in the list. One of the papers was an overseas publication – 'Al Quds Al Arabi' – that is based in Britain.
Adding to how Times of Oman had continued to remain a relevant source of information in the Sultanate and the wider region, Industry Arabic said, “One surprise to this year’s list was the presence of two English language newspapers (The Daily Star at #3 and Times of Oman at #9). However, to see two beating out many other Arabic language papers is notable. What makes these two papers even more extraordinary is that they come from two of the smaller MENA nations, Lebanon and Oman, respectively.
“We believe that this paper’s influence has more to do with demographics than current events,” they added. “According to its latest statistics, about 2 million of Oman’s residents are expatriates, and most of them hail from the Indian subcontinent. One of Times of Oman’s strengths is that it covers the latest issues and trends in both the Gulf and Indian subcontinent. Thus, this paper’s readership is boosted not only by English speakers in Oman, who want to read about events in their homelands, but also stretches across the Indian Ocean to countries like India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.”