NEWS

Vox Cinemas announces plans to produce 25 Arabic films in five years

Vox Cinemas has announced a plan to boost regional film production and develop 25 Arabic films in the next five years. The announcement was made at the inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, where Vox Cinemas is the exclusive cinema partner.

This new commitment to boost homegrown film production is aligned with Saudi Arabia Film Commission’s recently launched strategy to develop the Kingdom’s burgeoning cinema sector. As part of the initiative, Vox Cinemas will continue to support the next generation of homegrown content developers and provide resources for emerging filmmakers to bring their scripts to screen. Vox Cinemas previously provided mentorship to Saudi production company Myrkott, which was instrumental to the box office success of its animated feature film Masameer both locally and regionally.

Ignace Lahoud, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas, said: “We are proud to continue doing our part to invest in the prosperous future of the Kingdom. Cinemas and content production offer tremendous potential for regional economic growth, particularly in Saudi Arabia’s up and coming film industry, which we believe will significantly contribute to Vision 2030. Majid Al Futtaim is aligned with Saudi Film Commission’s plans to develop a burgeoning cinema sector, as attested by our expanding footprint and today’s commitment to produce a slate of 25 Arabic films in the next five years.”

“Film has the power not only to entertain, but to transcend boundaries and advance cultural dialogue. The Middle East has a long history steeped in storytelling and a wealth of emerging talent that has been gaining international prominence in recent years. Given its theme of ‘Metamorphosis’, the inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival is the ideal platform to announce our ambitious plan to illuminate the untold and compelling stories from our region on the big screen. As a long-standing supporter of the regional cinema sector, we will continue to champion emerging talent, amplify creative voices and provide audiences with a window into the rich culture of the Arab world.”

Ignace Lahoud, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas.

Saudi production house acquires indie film company Last Scene Films

Saudi entertainment group Telfaz11 has acquired Riyadh-based independent production house Last Scene Films in a deal scaling up its move into feature film production. Founded in 2017 by Mohammed Alhamoud, Last Scene Films has produced the short films Silah and Ertidad, which both travelled to international festivals, while its debut feature Last Visit (2019), directed by Abdulmohsen Aldhabaan, became the first Arab film selected at the East of the West Competition in the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and won the Jury Award at the 2019 Marrakech International Film Festival.

Wael Abumansour joined the company as an executive producer in 2020 and has been developing a wide range of genre-focused films, including Four Acts of Disruption, which won development funding from the Red Sea International Film Festival.

Alhamoud and Abumansour will now join the fold at Telfaz11, reporting to CEO Alaa Fadan. They will continue to oversee the dayto-day of Last Scene Films’ development and production slate, which will now scale up, as well as run Telfaz11’s film festival strategy.

Fadan said: “It has always been part of our mission to be catalysts to the local creative culture while being at the forefront of producing new and fresh Saudi content with massive local appeal and relevance to local culture. With our current strategy to expand and focus our offering in the film and premium content space, we believe that the Last Scene transaction will support us in accelerating our mission and creating long-term value for the company and its shareholders.”

Telfaz11 previously struck a deal with Netflix to develop and produce eight films for the service.

Front Row acquires stake in creative agency Operation Unicorn

Front Row Filmed Entertainment has acquired a stake in Beirut-based creative and production agency Operation Unicorn (OU) as the two companies join forces in a bid to transform storytelling in the Middle East.

Nathalie Masri, founder of OU, said: “The key to successful content is creative, honest storytelling. We want to inject meaningful, insightful stories into local content, stories that will resonate for an audience that feels mostly shut out or detached from current content.”

OU’s award-winning body of work boasts numerous successful campaigns, relying on smart insights, authentic storytelling and strong humour to garner massive success and a wide reach, with some campaigns going viral across digital media in the Middle East. OU’s model has become part of the telecommunications and marketing curriculums in universities, the firm claimed.

Likewise, Front Row is also actively working on several original projects through production arm Yalla Yalla, with OU offering creative input and on-the-ground production expertise. Front Row and OU are currently developing several projects, including slice-of-life comedy series From the Bathroom, a couples' dramedy spanning various Arab countries called Heads or Tails, and a feature film and docu-series that will be unveiled next year. The teams are also working on the Arabic remake of Intouchables, with the aim to start shooting in May 2022.

The move merges Front Row’s expertise in acquisitions and distribution with OU’s creative writing and production skills. The two companies will jointly develop original, short-form content in addition to branded content, podcasts and new formats for the region.

Gianluca Chakra, CEO of Front Row, said: “We’re looking to pave the way for a dynamic new phase of regional content. For decades, the industry has been stagnant in the hands of a tight circle of creators working under a stringent set of rules and red lines. In Operation Unicorn, we have an innovative outfit that we’re looking to shake up content with. We intend to break the old formulas and restrictive creative environments while developing powerful and authentic stories that carry the voice of a new generation of creators. To this end, we aim to gather like-minded emerging talent under one umbrella to produce content that will resonate with a diverse set of viewers spanning the Arab and eventually the Western world.”

From left to right: Gianluca Chakra, Wissam Matar, Nathalie Masri, Anthony Tawil and Jad Aouad.

Shahid VIP Mobile launches in Morocco and Tunisia

MBC Group’s streaming platform Shahid VIP will soon be available via a brand-new mobile-only package in Morocco and Tunisia. For users who prefer to stream their entertainment on the go, Shahid VIP Mobile launches on Orange Morocco for MAD 19 ($2.06) and on Orange Tunisia for TND 4.99 ($1.73). Users who sign up before the end of December 2021 will receive an exclusive two-month introductory offer with Orange Telecom for free.

Natasha MatosHemingway, Group Chief Commercial Officer (VOD) at MBC Group, said: “Our new partnership with Orange Morocco and Orange Tunisia is one we are very excited about, as it offers a convenient way for entertainment fans to access content on the go at an extremely attractive price point.”

New URSA Broadcast G2

Next generation camera with 6K digital film sensor, dual gain ISO, H.265, Blackmagic RAW and more!

The new Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2 is an incredibly powerful camera designed for both traditional and online broadcasters. The 3 cameras in 1 design allows it to work as a 4K production camera, a 4K studio camera or a 6K digital film camera! It’s a perfect solution for broadcasters because it uses the lenses and batteries you already own! No other broadcast camera is so flexible! Compatible with B4 Broadcast Lenses

The URSA Broadcast G2 features a B4 broadcast lens mount that includes optics specifically designed to match the camera’s sensor. B4 lenses are fantastic because they are par-focal, so the image stays in focus as you zoom in and out, so you don’t need to constantly chase focus as you shoot. You also get full electronic lens control to adjust focus, iris and zoom using the camera’s controls, or remotely!

Get Digital Film Quality for Broadcast

The large 6K sensor combined with Blackmagic generation 5 color science gives you the same imaging technology used in digital film cameras. The 6K sensor features a resolution of 6144 x 3456 so it’s flexible enough for broadcast and digital film work. When using B4 lenses, you get a 4K window of the sensor for Ultra HD broadcast use. Use Common Media and File Formats!

You can record in ProRes 422 HQ and ProRes 422 into QuickTime files. The new Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2 model can even record into H.265 for incredibly small files at 60:1 to 285:1 compression ratios, in 10-bit broadcast quality. Plus you can record to Blackmagic RAW files, a revolutionary new format designed to capture and preserve the quality of the sensor data from the camera.

Exceptional Low Light Performance

The new URSA Broadcast features incredible low light performance so you can shoot using ambient light or even under moonlight! The Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2 features gain from -12dB (100 ISO) up to +36dB (25,600 ISO) so it’s optimized to reduce grain and noise in images, while maintaining the full dynamic range of the sensor.

Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2 US$4,315

Qatar TV upgrades from Neptune to new Pebble Automation solution

Qatar TV has chosen Pebble to deliver a bespoke automation, playout and management solution as part of its plans to upgrade its system and future proof broadcast operations. It is a long-standing customer, having deployed Pebble’s Neptune Automation software in 2013.

In a bid to drive efficiencies in linear playout and improve control of mission-critical operations, Qatar TV commissioned a complete installation of the newer Pebble Automation solution. It ran this in parallel with Neptune before successfully making the full transition.

As part of its systems refresh, Qatar TV’s primary objective was to leverage the functionality that Pebble Automation offers, reducing repetitive tasks and adding increased flexibility. Qatar TV was also on the lookout for a cost-effective solution that would allow it to effectively streamline its workflows.

Ali Elsakka, Head of Engineering at Qatar TV, said: “We have had the pleasure to work with Pebble for a number of years now and upgrading to Pebble Automation was the next step in improving our broadcast workflows and operational efficiency. Pebble offered a simple migration path, with the reassurance of a seamless transition from Neptune to the powerful capabilities of Pebble Automation. We’re delighted with the success of the project and excellent continued support from all the teams involved at Pebble, and look forward to continuing to work with them for many years to come.”

Pebble maintains a strong presence in the Middle East, with its solutions controlling more than 400 channels across 17 countries at around 70 sites. Samir Isbaih, VP of Sales at Pebble, said: “Qatar is a key market for us in the region, and having successfully taken Qatar TV to air has been hugely rewarding. We look forward to building on the success we are having in the Middle East as we continue to invest in resources and R&D and delivering solutions to meet the ever-changing needs of broadcasters.”

YouTube launches fund for MENA short-form video creation

YouTube has launched a YouTube Shorts Fund in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Algeria, Iraq, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon and Morocco. Starting last month, the company began to reward creators and artists who make creative and unique Shorts. The global $100m fund was initially announced in May and is already available in a number of markets around the world.

Shorts is a new feature YouTube rolled out in July for anyone who wants to create short-form videos using their phone. As of July 2021, videos in YouTube’s Shorts player – which helps people around the world watch short videos on YouTube – are receiving over 15bn daily views.

Tarek Amin, Director of YouTube MENA, said: “Since rolling out Shorts in the Middle East and North Africa earlier this year, we’ve seen great growth in viewership and creation. The Shorts Fund was the logical next step as we build our long-term monetisation plan for Shorts. YouTube has helped an entire generation of creators and artists turn their creativity into businesses, and in MENA the number of creators earning five and six figures from YouTube continues to grow year on year. The fund is yet another tool in YouTube’s storytelling toolbox.”

Qualifying channels can earn anywhere between $100 and $10,000 a month to start, with bonus payment amounts adjusted based on total Shorts performance and audience location. YouTube plans to expand the fund to more countries in coming months.

MENA M&E startup Minly acquires celebrity shoutout platform Oulo

Minly has acquired Dubaibased celebrity shoutout platform Oulo, a video gifting platform with more than 300 celebrities across Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The merged business will operate under the Minly brand and roll out its combined experience offerings across the GCC. As part of the transaction, Oulo founder and CEO Kamal Nazha will join Minly as Chief Commercial Officer.

The global creator economy market exceeds $100bn in value and is still growing. Minly’s growth strategy for this market is developing a full-stack product suite empowering content creators to deliver meaningful experiences across multiple media to their fan base audiences.

Mohamed El-Shinnawy, co-founder and CEO of Minly, said: “Consumers want authentic access to celebrities more than ever before, while stars need platforms to connect personally with their fan base. These market dynamics are very powerful, and scale is a competitive differentiator. Minly and Oulo share a common passion to create authentic enjoyable moments by connecting creators with their fans in unique ways, so we’re very excited about our future together in this fast-growing market.”

Minly’s platform currently has more than 130,000 users and 1,000 celebrities, including Tamer Hosny, Fifi Abdou and Dorra Zarrouk. Complementing its personalised video shoutouts, voice notes and direct text messages, it recently launched its Minly Watch service where people can virtually attend online events performed by the region’s biggest stars, from anywhere in the world.

Oulo CEO Kamal Nazha with Mohamed El-Shinnawy, CEO of Minly.

The cineplex at Muvi Salaam Mall was designed by well-known architect Chapman Taylor.

Muvi opens eight-screen cineplex in Riyadh

Chapman Taylor, a global architect and master planner, has announced the opening of an eightscreen Muvi cineplex at Muvi Salaam Mall in Riyadh. The 3,274sqm cineplex is in the suburban Alawali area and can accommodate 1,045 moviegoers.

“Working for and with leading industry names, Chapman Taylor has decades of experience in creating state-of-the-art cinema environments which enhance moviegoers’ experience and maximise value and impact for the cinema developers,” said Rebecca Farmer, Design Manager (Dubai).

A specialist in site supervision and project management, Farmer regularly acts both as technical lead and liaison between clients and contractors on major construction projects. She joined Chapman Taylor’s Dubai studio in 2019, working onsite on many of the group’s cinema projects in Saudi Arabia.

Hrithik Roshan wraps up Abu Dhabi shoot

Hrithik Roshan has wrapped up the first schedule of thriller Vikram Vedha in Abu Dhabi, and co-star Saif Ali Khan has commenced the second schedule in Lucknow. The film is a Hindi remake of the Tamil original released in 2017 starring R Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi.

Hrithik shot over a schedule spanning 27 days in Abu Dhabi. The movie is helmed by Pushkar and Gayathri, who also directed the Tamil action thriller.

Saudi Film Commission announces 40% cash rebate for shooting in KSA

Saudi Film Commission has launched an initiative to help local and international production companies to shoot movies in the Kingdom. The commission said that incoming fiction features, documentaries and animation projects shooting in Saudi Arabia will be eligible for a cash rebate worth up to 40% in qualifying costs.

The initiative strives to provide aspiring film talent with a platform to develop and grow in the sector by providing training programmes, including onthe-job training locally and internationally, which will help create more permanent job opportunities within the local film industry.

Abdullah Al Eyaf, CEO of Saudi Film Commission, said: “We have been working hard to develop a competitive incentive package for local and international movie makers and content creators. Our ambition is high, we want Saudi to become a global hub for film, creative production and industry talent. The benefits of developing a world-class film industry go beyond the sector and will strengthen the Saudi cultural ecosystem as a whole, driving economic growth and creating jobs across the country.”

Of the various global models for film incentives, the film commission will rely on cash rebates repaid to producers as a percentage of qualifying expenditure. Organised by the Saudi Film Commission, the scheme is expected to receive its first applications by the end of Q1 2022, with a new platform set to be launched.

The commission aims to cover the expenses that come with production projects, covering the expenses of producers, directors, lead actors and screenwriters, as well as covering the expenses of production site crews and expenses related to rental equipment and designated production sites.

Muvi Cinemas and Telfaz11 to launch Wadi Cinema

Saudi exhibitor Muvi Cinemas and local producer Telfaz11 have teamed up to launch Wadi Cinema, an initiative to promote independent feature films from filmmakers throughout the MENA region and the world.

Wadi Cinema will launch as a pop-up experience at the Diriyah Biennale from December 16 until March 11, 2022, at Riyadh’s JAX District, where 63 artists’ works are being showcased.

Sultan AlHokair, CEO of Muvi Cinemas, said: “The best way to experience cinema is in a theatre, where audiences can break away from their everyday lives to watch a filmmaker’s vision come to life. When we partnered with Telfaz11, we wanted to find innovative ways to bring the experience of independent and critically acclaimed films from renowned film festivals to audiences throughout the kingdom.”

Wadi Cinemas will drive awareness and amplify its film selection across both partners’ platforms and will leverage Telfaz11’s reach to 29m subscribers and followers across social media. The industry is expected to see an increase in local film output as soon as next year. Telfaz11 is in various phases of production on multiple projects as part of its eightpicture deal with Netflix to develop and produce a slate of films for both Arab and global audiences.

Fatafeat integrated into first Arabic Alexa

Fatafeat, Discovery Inc.’s Arabic food network in the Middle East, has announced its integration as a skill on the Arabic version of Alexa. Using Alexa’s Fatafeat skill, viewers can cook Fatafeat recipes by asking Alexa for verbal instructions in fluent Arabic and its dialects. Viewers can unlock Alexa’s Fatafeat skill through Amazon’s Echo devices.

Red Sea Souk offers awards worth $700k

Red Sea International Film Festival has announced the winners of the Red Sea Souk Awards. More than $700,000 was awarded to selected projects, with funds provided by the Red Sea Fund as well as industry sponsors.

Zain Zedan, Red Sea Souk Manager, said: “We presented the Souk awards to an exceptional selection of new and established voices in filmmaking, including numerous women powerhouses..”

Five cash awards were granted by the Red Sea Souk Jury. Contra by Lotfy Nathan received a grant of $30,000, while Akashinga by Naishe Hassan Nyamubaya was awarded $25,000 and the $100,000 Red Sea Souk Award went to AÏCHA by Mehdi M. Barsaoui. The two Red Sea Lodge awards, each worth $100,000, were awarded to The Zarqa Girl by Zaid Abuhamdan and The Photographer of Madina by Dalyah Bakheet. A Special Mention Award worth $15,000 was given to Birthday by Lara Zeidan.

Three films in postproduction received awards. The Cemetery of Cinema by Thierno Souleymane Diallo and Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous by Wissam Charaf received awards worth $10,000 . The third, a full-colour grading package worth $15,000, was presented to Fragments from Heaven by Adnane Baraka.

Leyth Production, a Tunisian film production company, presented the Leyth Production Award for Sound Mixing, worth $15,000, to Abdelinho by Hicham Ayouch in post-production. Arab Cinema Centre presented the ACC award with participation in the 2022 Rotterdam Lab to Saudi winner Zeba by Arar Qarim and Seeking Haven for Mr Rambo by Khaled Mansour.

MAD solutions presented a $50,000 Distribution Award to The Seasons of Jannet by Mehdi Hmili, and Cinewaves Films, a Saudi distribution company, presented the Cinewaves Film Distribution $50,000 award to Zeba.

The Arab Radio and Television Network (ART) presented two awards. MONTREAL by Ameen Nayfeh won the ART Distribution Award, worth $50,000. The second award, worth $50,000, was given to Within Sand by Mo Alatawi. The Shahid Distribution Award, worth $100,000, went to Hala’s Aziz by Jawaher Alamri.

The winners of the Red Sea Souk Awards.

Image Nation’s Watcher to premiere at Sundance Film Festival

Image Nation Abu Dhabi’s psychological thriller Watcher is set to have its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this month. Directed by award-winning writer/ director Chloe Okuno, the film stars Maika Monroe, Karl Glusman and Burn Gorman. It is a co-production between Image Nation Abu Dhabi and Spooky Pictures, and will compete in the US dramatic competition.

Okuno said: “I am honoured to have my first feature-length film premiere at Sundance. This was an amazing project to work on, and I am so pleased Watcher is getting this wonderful platform for its world premiere.”

Ben Ross, Chief Content Officer of Image Nation Abu Dhabi, said: “Watcher is another example of Image Nation’s international co-productions pioneering Abu Dhabi’s film industry, and we look forward to seeing this project’s continued success.”

Watcher is based on an original spec by tyro screenwriter Zack Ford.

Istikana chief announces ambitious plans for streaming service in 2022

Jordanian SVOD streaming platform Istikana, part of Arab Media Network (AMN), has big plans for 2022 with “a more clear and differentiated content strategy”, CEO Tareq Abu-Lughod told BroadcastPro ME. It has ambitious plans to expand its portfolio of content with predominantly Arabic independent films (short and feature) and documentaries from and around the MENA. It also plans to enhance its technology and explore new distribution channels with major mobile operators and entities serving Arabic communities globally.

“There is a need from young Arabic filmmakers to showcase their films globally, and we are becoming that vehicle for a much wider audience,” Abu-Lughod said.

Istikana saw considerable uptake when it transitioned from an AVOD to an SVOD model and moved into developed markets like the US, Canada and Europe.

“We first targeted the MENA market, being an Arabiclanguage streaming service, but quickly realised that advertising spend was low and later that payment was, and still remains, an issue. We went international three years ago and have since witnessed considerably greater interest in our content abroad,” he added.

Tareq Abu-Lughod, CEO of Arab Media Network, the company behind Istikana.

Banat Abdul Rahman snags People’s Choice Award at Cairo International Film Festival

Jordanian film Banat Abdul Rahman won the People’s Choice Award at the Cairo International Film Festival 2021. Set in a poor neighbourhood in Amman, the film follows the journey of four sisters leading very different lives, each struggling to overcome personal and social struggles and taboos.

Banat Abdul Rahman is the debut feature of Jordanian writer/director Zaid Abu Hamdan. It is produced by Pan East Media, Lagoonie Films and Arab Media Network, with support from the Royal Film Commission of Jordan.

Tareq Abu-Lughod, CEO of Arab Media Network, which will also handle its release in Jordan, said: “This is our first feature film production after producing four shorts last year. We are excited to have it released commercially across the MENA through our distribution partner, Mad Solutions. The People’s Award is an indication that we are moving in the right direction, creating relevant films on budgets that are commercially viable and fit for both theatrical and digital releases.The possibility of having small local films reach regional/ global audiences through theatrical screenings and digital streaming platforms will encourage and enable more cross-border coproductions in the future and create a new wave of Arabic independent films."

New EMEA role for Mark Gardner at Ross

Mark Gardner has been appointed new Director of Sales for EMEA at Ross. He joined Ross last year as Regional Sales Director for EMEA North and has overseen the expansion of the team and company footprint in the region. This role puts Gardner in charge of Ross' ambitious growth plan for the whole EMEA territory.

Royal Media Services upgrades radio station with Lawo AoIP

Kenya’s Royal Media Services has upgraded its radio station with Lawo’s IP-based AoIP. Following the successful installations of Lawo mixing consoles at other RMS radio stations, a new 12-fader crystal console has now gone into service at Nairobi-based Radio Citizen, which broadcasts nationwide on the 14 stations of the RMS network. Project management and installation were handled by system integrator BYCE Broadcast.

Media Rating Company to roll out TV audience measurement with Nielsen in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s Media Rating Company (MRC) announced plans for a phased roll-out of its much-awaited TV and Video Audience Measurement (TAM) service, in partnership with Nielsen in the Kingdom. The announcement was made at the Westin Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina in Dubai by Eng Bandar Al Mashhadi, CEO of MRC.

Al Mashhadi outlined MRC’s five-year plan, which will see the service go live in July 2022 with an initial focus on data for TV and streaming services and other digital devices, gaming measurement by November 2022, media data for consumption on various devices by July 2023, radio measurement details by January 2024 and print measurement by January 2025.

The solution will be implemented in partnership with global audience measurement and data provider Nielsen and has been licensed by Saudi Arabia’s General Commission for Audio Visual (GCAM) and Advertising Industry Board.

Al Mashhadi, who previously headed the Technical Committee overseeing the development of the initiative, said: “It is an honour to be here today and share details about this groundbreaking TAM solution, which will contribute to the growth of a dynamic media and broadcast sector in Saudi Arabia in line with the goals of Vision 2030. Audience behaviours are evolving rapidly as the Kingdom continues its remarkable transformation, making it more important than ever to introduce robust TV measurement technology. We are proud to partner with Nielsen to gain a deeper understanding of Saudi viewers’ preferences and deliver accurate data that will help to drive effective, highly targeted campaigns.”

Nielsen currently measures TV

MRC announced its TAM strategy in Dubai last month.

Eng Bandar Al Mashhadi shared a five-year roadmap with media agencies in Dubai.

audiences in 37 markets globally, more than any other international TAM provider, commented Sarah Messer, Managing Director, Nielsen Media MENAP. In her address, she stated that 2,000 sample households, representative of the entire 35m population of Saudi Arabia including expatriates from 24 cities across KSA, will be chosen for TAM. She added that anyone who is part of the marketable population from the age of four and above will be considered as part of the sampling, though domestic workers will not be included. She also stated that the measurement was comparable to established TAM markets.

As part of this project, 150 channels will be measured and 50 monitored. The People Meter will be installed on every working TV set in each panel home, used to collect audio fingerprints and audience data. A streaming meter will also be installed in each household with broadband and Wi-Fi to monitor streaming activities. Data captured by the installed meters will be transmitted regularly to the data collection facility. A special facility has been set up to capture 24x7 unique audio fingerprints for 150 channels used by audio matching. Audio fingerprints from meters are matched to audio fingerprints from Nielsen reference sites, to identify viewing on each TV.

A data production platform will then manage all the processes of data collection, validation and consolidation into a daily database. In addition, there will be a monitoring system to produce programme and spot data for 50 channels. On a daily basis, all data subscribers can download the previous day’s data to perform complex analyses using the data analysis software.

Nielsen, which established an office in Saudi Arabia for this purpose, is working closely with the General Authority for Statistics (GAStat) to define the population to be represented and its characteristics.

The operational set-up for the service is making progress, with meter installations in households across the Kingdom. Nano People Meters, claimed as the latest metering technology, will be installed in each home to capture data from eight people per meter. The solution employs cutting-edge technology to deliver a precise picture of the size and demographics of television audiences and reveal how people engage with content. So far, 62 meters have been installed. The team hopes to have installed them in 1,000 households and have the initial batch of data available by April 2022, with the project set to go fully live by July 2022, providing the market with data from 2,000 households.

“TAM data can give you the ability to make data-led decisions,” commented Messer. “The key viewing metrics will be live, VOSDAL [viewed on the same day as live] and TSV + 7 [time-shifted viewing within seven days]. The two technologies we have for measurement are state-of-the-art, so we expect to provide a lot of new data and metrics.”

Al Mashhadi commented that MRC is committed to integrating the latest innovations in consumer electronics to ensure it remains at the forefront of measuring audience behaviours. KSA TAM is audited by 3M3A, which audits similar projects in more than 10 other countries and is supervised by a Technical Committee representing key industry stakeholders. For the first time in the Kingdom, the solution will include a digital measurement that captures OTT streaming services over home Wi-Fi, providing insights on viewing habits across both linear and digital services. He also encouraged clients in the audience to engage and interact with the Tech Committee, which hopes to include more people from the media industry in building the solution.

The event concluded with a panel discussion examining the project’s seismic impact on the Saudi media sector. MRC intends to host a launch event in Saudi Arabia with key guests and media representatives to officially kick off the project in Q1 2022. PRO

Eng Bandar Al Mashhadi, CEO of MRC, with Sarah Messer, MD of Nielsen Media MENAP.