MMS’ Mathieu Yarak shares his perspective on what’s driving real performance in the region.
What’s proving effective in capturing and sustaining audience attention in MENA’s fragmented video landscape?
In today’s attention economy, fragmentation isn’t the problem, irrelevance is. With viewers scattered across platforms, the most effective brands are those that plan for attention, not just exposure. This means building creative and media strategies around platform behaviour, not media formats. Short-form content optimised for mobile, contextual alignment with programming, and seamless cross-screen storytelling are outperforming traditional placements in terms of media and brand KPIs.
Most importantly, brands that use attention metrics rather than just impressions or view-through rates are seeing clearer signals of engagement and effectiveness, and many global and local use cases are showing that impact. Sustained attention is now the closest proxy we have to ad impact, and the most innovative marketers are already optimising for it.
What role does locally produced content play in driving loyalty and ROI in the region?
Locally produced content has transitioned from being a niche to a key driver of engagement and brand trust in the MENA region. It offers cultural relevance, communicates in the local language (both literally and figuratively), and consistently results in higher metrics for time spent and deeper emotional connections. From a branding perspective, this means more attentive audiences and improved performance on key brand indicators such as recall, favourability, and purchase intent.
Integrating brands into local formats through in-content partnerships and branded entertainment has proven to be far more effective than generic ad placements. Despite its potential, local content remains one of the most underutilised tools in the media mix for marketers aiming to connect with real people rather than just focusing on reach metrics.
What measurement and targeting capabilities are being prioritised to improve media performance across
TV and streaming?
As media consumption straddles linear and digital, advertisers are demanding cross-platform, outcome-based measurement. The focus is shifting away from siloed reach and frequency toward unified metrics that quantify brand impact and behavioural response. This includes brand lift studies, attention-based planning, and attribution solutions that link exposure to real-world actions, be it store visits, app installs, purchases, or any other lower funnel metric.
On the targeting front, the emphasis is now on consented data, with zero-party and first-party audiences becoming of high value to campaign planning. Advanced platforms are enabling real-time segmentation and clean-room integrations, allowing brands to activate data responsibly while maintaining performance at scale. In this new era, measurement must prove not just that an ad was delivered, but that it delivered results.
What’s one emerging trend in MENA’s TV and streaming space that brands should be paying closer attention to?
The most significant shift currently taking place is the emergence of attention as a key metric for strategic planning. As the shortcomings of traditional metrics like reach and viewability become increasingly evident, attention is becoming a more reliable indicator of advertising effectiveness. This metric provides a clearer understanding of how people engage with content and, crucially, with advertisements.
Brands that focus on attentive seconds instead of passive impressions are finding better alignment with their business outcomes. This trend reflects a broader movement in the industry from volume-based planning to value-based planning, where success is determined by impact rather than mere exposure. It reflects a broader industry move from volume-based planning to value-based planning, where impact, not exposure,
defines success.
By Mathieu Yarak, Head of Data at MMS.
