Google Display Network averages $0.98 CPC and $4.55 CPM. OTT (Over-The-Top) is bought on CPM only, averaging $36.40. Analysis for UAE in 2026.
The UAE is the Middle East's premium digital advertising market and the regional headquarters for most MENA-focused campaigns. CPMs run roughly 30% above US baselines, reflecting small population (~10M), high disposable income, and disproportionate concentration of multinational regional HQs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Google, Meta, TikTok, and Snapchat all hold meaningful share — Snapchat is unusually strong in the UAE and broader Gulf compared to Western markets. Arabic creative is essential for reaching the Emirati and broader Arab expat population; English-only campaigns reach a meaningful but minority audience. The UAE Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021) governs privacy and aligned the UAE closer to international norms. Luxury, real estate, travel, and financial services dominate.
Display advertising across Google's network of partner sites
Connected TV and streaming platforms (Hulu, Roku, etc.)
The auction, the creative, the budget floor — the three things you actually need to know before picking a platform.
GDN buys impressions across 2M+ publisher sites via a real-time auction. You can bid CPC or CPM depending on the campaign goal. CPCs are 4–7x lower than search, but conversion rates are also lower — it's a top-of-funnel channel, not a decision-point channel.
Responsive Display Ads: 15 images (1200×628 landscape, 1200×1200 square, 1200×1500 portrait), 5 logos, 5 short headlines (30ch), 5 long headlines (90ch), 5 descriptions (90ch). Google auto-assembles.
$30–75/day gets a display campaign to statistical signal, though retargeting audiences reach signal faster and are the recommended entry point for smaller budgets.
OTT (Hulu, Peacock, Roku, Samsung TV+, etc.) is bought exclusively on CPM with 15- and 30-second video creative. Rates run $25–40 CPM — the highest of any digital channel — because inventory is finite premium video and the ROAS story is measured against linear TV, not against Facebook.
15s or 30s video, 1920×1080 (16:9), broadcast-quality mastering. No skippable formats. Most platforms require closed captions and mezzanine-file delivery through demand-side platforms.
OTT has a real budget floor: most DSPs require $5K–10K/month minimum, and to reach reliable frequency in a metro DMA you need $15K+/month per platform.