When Clark Kent quit his long-time gig at The Daily Planet newsroom in a recent issue of the Superman comic book series, the disgruntled reporter joined one of the strongest forces to have ever rocked the field of journalism: Google.
Well, sort of.
Mr Kent left to run a blog, the success of which will likely depend on how many hits he can get through the search engine giant and how much he might be able to charge for online adverts. If Google's latest earnings are any indication of the potential for digital ad revenue growth, then the mild-mannered reporter should have a strong shot at keeping up his day job.
"Google is a powerful force," writes Hal Varian, Google's chief economist, in an opinion piece the company passed on to its public relations team for possible distribution within the Middle East and North Africa (Mena).
In the article, seen by The National, Mr Varian notes Google sends more than 6 billion clicks, or visits - every month - to news sites around the world, "generating hundreds of millions of euros in ad revenue".
During its latest quarter, Google reported US$14.42 billion (Dh52.96bn) in revenues, which was up 36 per cent from the same period a year earlier.
All told, last year, the tech company hit $50bn in revenues for the first time. "Not a bad achievement in just a decade and a half," said Larry Page, Google's chief executive, in the company's earnings statement released last month.
As boastful as Mr Page's comment may have seemed, it was still somewhat of an understatement. In the first half of last year alone, Google gobbled up $20.8bn in gross advertising revenue, compared with $19.2bn from newspapers and magazines that sold print adverts across the United States, according to Statista, a data company consisting of statisticians, analysts and editors.
Put another way, as Statista has stated, a company created just 15 years ago earned more from advertising than did an entire sector that has been in existence for more than a century.
Part of Google's success, of course, stems from the proliferation of devices where digital adverts can be placed, including tablets, smartphones and more traditional computer screens. The company's market share of smartphone subscribers with its Android software in the US stood at more than 53 per cent at the end of last year, which was greater than any other company's platform, including Apple's, according to research data from comScore.
Most people who now get their news on a mobile device in the US - 78 per cent - turn to their mobile phone. While a growing number of readers are reading text online, fewer are flipping open traditional newspapers: just 23 per cent of Americans surveyed last year by the Pew Research Center said they read a print paper, down from 41 per cent a decade earlier.
In the Middle East and North Africa the rapid adoption of technology has made Mena "extremely important" for Google, says Mohamed Mourad, the regional manager for Google in the Arabian Gulf.
"We have 350 million people in Mena - 100 million today are online," Mr Mourad says.
"We try to get more people to actually adopt the internet."
At the same time, Google has been trying to deliver more sophisticated adverts to viewers in Mena.
In the past, random adverts were often displayed on a news site or next to online search results. Yet so-called interspace targeting is now "the most powerful" kind of audience pinpointing within Mena, says Mr Mourad.
It works when someone is searching for a new vehicle, for example, and they may start seeing an influx of adverts targeted specifically at car buyers.
"If we give you a car ad, and you're more likely to engage with a website, the advertiser is more likely to pay a higher per-click rate for these ads," says Mr Mourad. "It's good for everyone. Everyone wins."
Especially Google.
Yet the company, based in Mountain View, California, has only recently started seeing a return on its investment within Mena, as it has gained a larger share of advert revenue from the print publishing sector and the television industry.
One of the company's biggest selling points when it comes to pitching commercials to accompany videos on YouTube is that viewers must watch the whole clip before an advertiser gets charged. When uninterested viewers opt out, by clicking the "skip" option even 29 seconds into a 30-second spot, for instance, advertisers do not have to pay a dirham, says Mr Mourad.
"The format is actually selling like hot cakes in the Middle East," he says. "The advertiser is only paying for fully-viewed ads."
Mr Mourad insists Google is not "cannibalising" the TV advertising market by shifting budgets away to YouTube. Rather, he argues, the company is offering advertisers an opportunity to pay a lot less for a different kind of marketing that provides incremental growth in the number of viewers.
In any case, the company has continued to increase the amount of content that is available in Arabic for the Mena region, most notably during Ramadan when online viewership tends to spike.
In the past, these kinds of efforts generated more eyeballs - but only recently have they started to bring in additional business for Google.
"We've been around and doing a lot of programmes that don't always generate revenue," says Mr Mourad.
"Now we're doing both.
"We're still doing all the user-generation stuff but also generating a lot of revenues because of the importance of advertising in the region."
business@thenational.ae
First-round leaderbaord
-5 C Conners (Can)
-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);
-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)
Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)
Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng)
1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)
3 R McIlroy (NI)
4 D Johnson (US)
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
WWE Evolution results
- Trish Stratus and Lita beat Alicia Fox and Mickie James in a tag match
- Nia Jax won a battle royal, eliminating Ember Moon last to win
- Toni Storm beat Io Shirai to win the Mae Young Classic
- Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley beat The Riott Squad in a six-woman tag match
- Shayna Baszler won the NXT Women’s title by defeating Kairi Sane
- Becky Lynch retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match
- Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women’s title by beating Nikki Bella
Kanye%20West
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