PRONEWS
Saudi Broadcasting Authority ropes in AFL to produce reality TV show Saudi Broadcasting Authority has joined forces with Dubai production house Art Format Lab (AFL) to launch a reality show on fashion and lifestyle titled Yalla Nyghayer (Let’s Change). It spotlights three Saudi women entrepreneurs who have achieved major success in their careers as designers, stylists and beauty specialists -- Mona Al-Noman, Banan AlJefri and Noha Al-Sindi, who have a beauty and lifestyle consultancy centre in Riyadh. The show airs every Wednesday on SBC at 9:30pm KSA time and follows the daily life of the three fashionistas and their team of specialists, with four clients seeking a makeover, beauty treatments or a lifestyle consultancy. With twelve 30-minute episodes, it is presented by the three entrepreneurs and actress Saraa AlOtaibi, who
The Yalla Nyghayer production team.
plays a comic receptionist. The show showcases the spring/summer 2022 collections of popular prêtà-porter and haute couture brands. It is shot at various locations in the Qurtuba neighbourhood of Riyadh, with international DoP Michal Sosna joining a team of more than 50 experienced crew members. “This is the first Saudi
makeover show with a fully local cast,” claimed Khulud Abu-Homos, CEO of Art Format Lab. “This show has premiered at a time when the Kingdom is witnessing a lot of changes with serious initiatives to establish the fashion industry, with plans to open doors for modelling, design and fashion business initiatives. This in turn supports the Saudi
leadership’s 2030 vision.” With the Saudi fashion industry import market estimated to be worth more than $2.9bn and the Islamic fashion sector expected to increase from $270bn to almost $361bn by 2030, the show seems well placed to capitalise on this demand. “This makeover show needed a lot of expertise in beauty shooting. It has been a huge learning experience for our three cameramen working with Sosna. The other major challenge was having to shoot our makeovers in real time, which almost takes five to six hours each,” explained Abu-Homos. While she concedes that there are a lot of makeover shows, she claims this is an original format developed by Art Format Lab and implemented for the first time in Saudi Arabia.
Jason Monteiro exits Shahid, joins HBO Max as GM for Southeast Asia WarnerMedia has appointed Jason Monteiro as GM of HBO Max Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. He will temporarily report to Johannes Larcher, head of HBO Max International, until a new MD for the broader India, Southeast Asia and Korea region is named. In this new role, Monteiro will oversee the
Jason Monteiro.
day-to-day operations of WarnerMedia’s D2C business, taking the lead on content experience, brand, marketing, subscriber management, digital partnerships and data analytics. He will also be responsible for the existing HBO Go streaming service and the eventual launch of HBO Max in the region, and will build and lead a cross-functional
team to maximise the success of the service. Monteiro has extensive OTT leadership experience across APAC and the Middle East, most recently serving as Director of AVOD at Shahid. No date has been confirmed for the launch of HBO Max in Asia, with WarnerMedia focused on the growth of HBO Go, its existing streaming service in the region.
February 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | 5
