The UAE in short
What the planning records currently cover.
How do you plan radio advertising in the UAE?
Define the emirates or cities, the audience language, the campaign objective, the dates, the spot length and the budget. Then compare named UAE stations by programme, time band, frequency, production needs, local charges and the proof available after broadcast. Language is the first filter and the programme and time band complete the picture, because two English stations can serve very different listeners. This page names the most useful options; availability and commercial terms are confirmed against your brief and your dates.
UAE radio stations by audience
Start with the station your customer already listens to. We compare its language and programme against the people you need to reach.
| Goal | Station examples | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| Arabic music and local audiences | Al Arabiya 99, Al Khaleejiya 100.9, Al Rabia 107.8, Emarat FM | Arabic-language campaigns and local audience reach |
| English hit music and families | Virgin Radio Dubai 104.4, Dubai 92, Channel 4 104.8 | Consumer brands, retail, entertainment and family offers |
| Business, news and current affairs | Dubai Eye 103.8 | Professional, property, finance and business audiences |
| Hindi and Bollywood | City 101.6, Radio 4 89.1, Radio Mirchi | Indian expatriate audiences and Hindi-led campaigns |
| Malayalam | Hit 96.7, Gold 101.3, Club FM | Malayalam-speaking communities across the UAE |
| Filipino | Tag 91.1 | Filipino residents and community-led promotions |
| Persian | Radio Shoma 93.4 | Persian-speaking audiences |
Featured radio stations in the UAE
Radio stations across Arabic, English, Hindi, Malayalam, Filipino and Persian networks. Planned against live availability and rates.
Packages start from USD 1,350 for a spot campaign on the UAE's first French-language station, on air across Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi since April 2022, plus a global digital stream.
Advertise on Dynamic Radio Dubai
Spot placements start from USD 225, on the only Russian-language radio station in the UAE, reaching the Russian-speaking expat community across the Emirates.
Advertise on Volna Radio 103.2 FM
A one-week Weekday Buzz campaign starts from USD 2,451, on Sharjah’s home for classic and contemporary Arabic music, broadcasting across the UAE in Arabic and English.
Advertise on Al Rabia 107.8
A one-week Weekday Buzz campaign starts from USD 1,157, on the UAE’s youth station for hit music and modern hip-hop, targeting Western expats and dance music fans.
Advertise on Beat 97.8
Campaigns start from USD 2,042 for a one to two week run on this English-language music and entertainment station, broadcasting across the UAE on 93 FM.
Advertise on Dubai Radio 93A one-week Weekday Buzz campaign starts from USD 2,389, on Sharjah’s Arabic station for music, talk and culture, broadcasting to local Emiratis and Arab expatriates across the UAE.
Advertise on Sharjah FM 94.4A one-week Weekday Buzz campaign starts from USD 1,775, on Dubai’s Quran recitation and Islamic programming station, broadcasting in Arabic and English across the UAE.
Advertise on Noor Dubai 93.9A one-week Weekday Buzz campaign starts from USD 2,178, on the UAE’s home for classic hits and golden oldies, broadcasting across the Emirates in Arabic and English.
Advertise on Gold 101.3A one-week Weekday Buzz campaign starts from USD 1,157, on Dubai’s Hindi-language station for Bollywood music and entertainment.
Advertise on Luv 107.1Where your campaign runs
Dubai is published with station-level detail. Further UAE city pages follow as each one can carry its own availability, audience detail and buying terms.
Formats available in the UAE
Four ways onto UAE airtime. Availability and commercial terms are confirmed per station and campaign period.
Plan my formats
Recorded spots and jingles
A supplied or newly produced spot runs in selected commercial breaks, commonly at ten, twenty or thirty seconds. Best for offers, launches, brand recall and messages that need repetition.
Presenter mentions
The presenter delivers your confirmed message inside an agreed programme, in that station's broadcast language. Best for reaching one language community through a voice its listeners already know.
Time checks and recurring features
Your brand line runs with a scheduled time announcement or another repeatable feature. Best for short messages and brands that need a consistent daily presence.
Programme sponsorships and competitions
Support a programme or a station competition. Best for building a long association with one show and the community that listens to it.
How UAE radio rates are calculated
UAE airtime is planned by station, spot length, time band and number of broadcasts. The currency and rate are confirmed for your campaign dates, and applicable tax is shown separately in the commercial proposal. Your plan should also carry audio production, the language work, any sponsor fees and that tax, each on a stated basis. Allow time for script review as well: a health, finance or property claim can need supporting documents before a station confirms the booking.
Nothing here is a published rate card. Current currency, rates and minimum billing are confirmed for your chosen stations and dates, each figure beside its time band.
Get a costed schedule| Format | Charging basis | What changes the figure |
|---|---|---|
| Recorded spot | Per second, per station, per broadcast | Station, time band, length and frequency |
| Presenter mention | Per mention or package | Presenter, programme, script and campaign period |
| Sponsorship | Per programme or campaign package | Property, duration and included deliverables |
| Audio production | Per language version | Voice, music, script adaptation and edit rounds |
The station and the audience
AudienceA broad music station and a language station sell different audiences. The price is worth judging against audience fit and current demand for that programme rather than against another station's number.
The time band and the frequency
ScheduleBreakfast and evening drive usually carry the strongest demand. Daytime, overnight and weekend inventory follows a different basis, and the daily spot count is what sets the campaign weight.
The period and the format
TimingRamadan, Eid and major retail weeks affect availability. Presenter mentions, sponsorships and station events are priced differently from recorded airtime.
Why radio works in the UAE
Three things about this market that make the medium punch above its cost.
Several language audiences
Arabic, English and South Asian stations let the plan follow the audience community, so each listener group hears a message shaped for them rather than a compromise written for everybody.
Time bands match daily movement
Breakfast, daytime and evening schedules each match a different part of the day, so you can concentrate the spots in one listening period or spread them across all of it.
Local audio can carry one campaign idea
The offer stays consistent while the language changes station to station. One UAE campaign can still sound native to every audience it reaches.
How a UAE radio campaign is booked
Four steps from brief to reconciliation, with a client decision at each one.
Set the coverage before the brief
Tell us which emirates the campaign must reach, and whether you expect one national schedule or separate city schedules. Add the audience, language groups, dates, spot length, frequency and budget, and say which language versions already exist.
Review the station and rate plan
We shortlist from the 27 listings, show where two stations serve overlapping audiences, and set national coverage against city coverage. Each option carries its proposed time band, schedule weight and quoted local-currency rate basis.
Confirm one script per language group
Each version is timed against its booked duration and checked for pronunciation and offer detail before recording. A national plan usually needs a separate check per language group rather than one translated master.
Reconcile the campaign station by station
Every station's final schedule is recorded against the confirmed plan, so a multi-station booking can be checked line by line. Confirmations, broadcast logs or monitoring reports are organised after the activity.
“One account team handles the station shortlist, the rate comparison, the audio coordination, the sign-off, the booking and the post-campaign documents, from an office in Dubai. Your plan names the station, the language, the time band, the spot length, the daily frequency and the campaign dates, and you confirm it before anything is booked. An international team can work through one point of contact while the local station process stays visible rather than hidden behind it.”
Radio stations in United Arab Emirates
Real stations with published packages. Every campaign is quoted against current availability.
UAE radio advertising, answered
Which radio stations can I advertise on in the UAE?
Options include the nine brands in the current Arabian Radio Network portfolio, and range from Virgin Radio Dubai 104.4 and Dubai 92 to City 101.6, Hit 96.7 and Tag 91.1. Availability is confirmed for your dates.
How much does radio advertising cost in the UAE?
It depends on the station, time band, spot length, daily frequency and campaign period. The proposal quotes the confirmed currency and rate for each station, and shows production, sponsorship charges and applicable tax separately.
Can a UAE campaign target one language?
Yes. The station plan can focus on Arabic, English, Hindi, Malayalam, Filipino, Persian or another available language, with programme profile and time band used to refine the audience further.
What audio information is needed before booking?
The spot duration, language, script, brand pronunciation and preferred voice. If finished audio already exists, send its file format and length so the broadcaster can confirm it matches the booked placement.
Can one campaign run in Dubai and Abu Dhabi?
Yes. The schedule can combine stations with broader UAE coverage and market-specific options. The proposal states the intended coverage and rate for every station, so the reach of each booking is clear.
Do Ramadan and Eid change a UAE radio plan?
They can. Ramadan, Eid and major retail weeks affect station demand and availability, which moves both the rate and the inventory open on your preferred time bands. Confirm those dates early so the schedule is built around them rather than adjusted afterwards.
Get a UAE radio plan.
Send the emirates you need to cover, the audience and language groups, the dates and the budget. You get back a station shortlist that sets national coverage against city coverage, with time bands, format options and current quoted rates.