Al Jazeera tops Forbes list of Arab brands

Dubai, Oct 20: Television news channel Al Jazeera won the top spot in a list of the best-known Arab brands compiled by Forbes magazine's Arabic edition, besting Dubai-based Emirates airlines.

Qatar-based Al Jazeera, which has been criticised by Washington for airing messages from al Qaeda leaders, ranked first in the online survey in 19 Arab countries that tested a brand's trust, recognition and adaptability, Forbes Arabia said.

The list of 40 brands, the first complied by Forbes Arabia, was dominated by the United Arab Emirates, home to many of the Gulf Arab firms that are expanding outside the region, backed by governments looking to invest record oil revenues.

''(The) list looks at companies that have created strong brands not only in Arab countries but that are also gaining recognition worldwide,'' said Sulaiman al-Hattlan, editor of the Arabic edition of Forbes magazine, which compiles an annual list of the world's billionaires, in a statement.

Emirates, the largest Arab airline, was one of 19 UAE companies on the list, which will be published in the magazine's November issue.

Among the others was Al Arabiya, a Saudi-owned broadcaster that is the main rival of Al Jazeera, which has won millions of Arab viewers and angered Washington and some Arab governments with its coverage of the war in Iraq and Islamic militancy.

At number 10 was Dubai-based Emaar Properties, the largest Arab developer by market value, which bought US homebuilder John Laing Homes for 1.05 billion dollars in June.

Nakheel, a state-owned developer that is building three palm-frond shaped islands off the coast of Dubai, was ranked 30th, one place ahead of Mecca Cola, which is touted by its makers as an Islamic alternative to Western soft drink brands.

The online survey was conducted for Forbes Arabia by UK market research firm YouGov. Only companies operating in all Arabic speaking countries were eligible for the list, the magazine said.

REUTERS