Once that happens, these countries' total media control is finished. Commenting on the most popular satellite station Al Jazireh, one of the researchers declared an end to the media cartel. Once one station breaks rank and doesn't toe the line, all the other stations will have to compete and therefore engage with their viewers. In a talk I gave on the poor quality of programming on Arab satellites, I angered some of the audience by stating that most Arab satellite broadcasters are more interested in having their tiny logo on the bottom of the screen than in the programs that fill the entire screen. Every Arab country, no matter how small, feels that being on satellite is tantamount to international recognition.
Some countries have more than once station with little indigenous programming.
The amount of money spent on television software is insignificant compared to the amount spent on hardware. That is why Arab television stations are the last place Arab filmmakers go to for funding or broadcast their films. A recent study submitted to the Moroccan parliament showed that more than 60 per cent of the Moroccan people don't watch either of the country's two channels. Apparently more people in Morocco watch French satellite stations and the Qatar-based Al Jazireh than their national channels. For the first time Arabs are finding out what is happening in their own country and in the rest of the Arab world without the filters of national broadcasters and ministry of information controllers.