22 minute read
NEWS
BeIN Media Group appoints SMC as exclusive advertising partner
BeIN Media Group has appointed Riyadh-based media representation firm SMC as its exclusive MENA advertising partner. BeIN Sports signed an agreement with SMC for all its channels, including coverage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The agreement was signed at beIN’s MENA headquarters in Doha, in the presence of Yousef Al-Obaidily, Group CEO of BeIN Media Group, and Mohammed bin Abdulelah Al-Khuraiji, Chairman of SMC.
Mohammad Al-Subaie, CEO of beIN MENA, said: “We are pleased to partner with SMC at such an exciting time for beIN, as we prepare for the start of the world’s largest sporting event, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The agreement is not only commercially significant but will also enable advertisers to reach a huge audience who are tuned into beIN’s various channels within the MENA region, through a leading media sales agency. This agreement is just one of many success stories which have been announced this year, with more to come.”
Khalid Waleed Alkhudair, CEO of SMC, added: “This agreement with beIN provides us with an opportunity to implement SMC’s strategy of flexible and effective advertising and marketing services. We plan to utilise our top-of-the-line service models, which comprise the latest in ad systems in line with the global developments in the industry.”
Executives from beIN Media Group and SMC.
Vice Media Group bolsters leadership team in Middle East
Tarek Khalil. Carla Dabis. Joseph Aquilina.
Vice Media Group and its creative agency Virtue Worldwide have announced several senior hires in the Middle East. Tarek Khalil has been promoted to the position of Regional Managing Director, Vice Arabia, MEA, bringing with him a wealth of experience across the region in running awardwinning agencies and securing and sustaining large creative accounts. Carla Dabis has been appointed as Commercial Director, Vice, MEA.
Vice Media Group has also appointed Joseph Aquilina as Senior Director and Head of Experiential across MEA, charged with leveraging the group’s expertise in engaging with youth and driving growth across the experiential offering of Virtue.
Saudi Arabia’s GEA and Shahid launch new digital channel
MBC Group’s streaming platform Shahid and Saudi General Entertainment Authority (GEA) have collaborated to launch a new digital channel in Saudi Arabia. Imagine will be available as an add-on service within the Shahid VIP and VIP Sports packages. It will specialise in broadcasting concerts, artistic shows, entertainment programmes and sporting events. It will also broadcast livestreams of events and concerts from Riyadh Season and Jeddah Season, as well as recordings of past shows.
Shahid Ultimate package subscribers will automatically gain access to Imagine after the channel’s launch.
Evision and ADQ complete acquisition of majority stake in StarzPlay
Evision and Abu Dhabi investment and holding company ADQ have completed the acquisition of a majority stake of 57% in Starzplay Arabia. The consortium, in which Evision owns a 66.7% share, will pay up to $130m in cash and kind, including a component linked to an earn-out. StarzPlay will use the investment for new sports content and originals from the Middle East.
Former OSN and Warner Bros. Discovery execs launch Rise Studios
Amanda Turnbull, CEO and co-founder of Rise Studios.
Three well-known industry veterans have joined forces to launch Rise Studios, a company that will invest in regional production houses and local talent with the aim to create world-class productions that can be distributed on both regional and international platforms. The brainchild of Emad Morcos, former OSN Chief Content and Commercial Officer; Amanda Turnbull, previous GM at Warner Bros. Discovery MEA and Turkey; and Amel Farag, former Head of Content Commercial Strategy at OSN, Rise Studios is based in Dubai Media City and will take care of the commercial, distribution and legal aspects of the productions they support so producers and talent can focus on honing their craft.
“We have been working on this for the last 18 months,” Rise Studios CEO and co-founder Amanda Turnbull told BroadcastPro ME. “This is a new approach in the region and is unique since it gives our production partners an equity share in the bigger studio business. We invest in companies that have successful Arabic production track records and already work with the likes of MBC, OSN, StarzPlay and Netflix. We will accelerate their growth to take more of their productions to regional and international platforms.
“We have partnered with Great Mountain Partners (GMP), a US-based media and entertainment investor for this venture. They have immediate access to an ecosystem of IP producers from across North America and Europe. They have a very long-term view and that’s why they fit the needs of this market.”
Rise has already invested in companies across Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Beirut, the UAE and the US. These include Egyptian scripted series and movie specialist Partner Pro and advertising creative house ASAP, headed by film director Sherif Arafa and Amin El Masri; Lebanon and UAE-based factual reality specialist Different Productions, helmed by Mazen Laham; Watan Network, led by Bassel Khair; and Omar Hussein’s Black Typhoon, which has been funded for the specific development of original content in Saudi Arabia.
Partner Pro produced the regional hit Finding Ola and is in pre-production for a second season of this popular Netflix show. Different Productions launched Dubai Bling on Netflix on October 27, having successfully launched Chopped with Dubai TV and Say Yes to the Dress with Discovery and StarzPlay Arabia. Watan Network is one of the largest multi-channel networks in the Arab world, with over 5bn combined views monthly and 14bn watch time minutes per month on YouTube, Facebook and Snap. Black Typhoon is an established Saudi Arabian producer whose founding team has over 10 years of experience creating content for platforms including UTurn, OSN and MBC.
Rise Studios leverages its funding to create owned intellectual property (IP) that reflects the regional zeitgeist and delivers the type of content that audiences are looking for. With the backing of Great Mountain Partners (GMP), already part of the expansion journeys for acclaimed media groups such as Concord, Confluential Films, AiMi and A24, the Rise Studios team is confident it will be able to help raise the profile of regional content and talent.
“We believe that stories can be told differently and champion rich regional narratives that resonate locally and travel globally, leaving lasting impressions. Through collective commercial expertise and data intelligence, we pinpoint the right content for the right platforms while discovering, supporting and giving regional talent the recognition that it deserves,” commented Emad Morcos, Chairman of Rise Studios.
Emad Morcos, Chairman & co-founder. Amel Farag, Non-Executive Director and co-founder.
BeIN signs broadcast rights deal with Asian Football Confederation
The Asian Football Confederation and BeIN Media Group have signed a longterm deal covering AFC competitions in MENA. For the initial 2022-2024 period, the agreement grants beIN Sports exclusive rights to all AFC competitions in certain MENA territories, excluding Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran and Iraq. In addition, beIN Sports has non-exclusive broadcast rights in Chad, Djibouti, Mauritania, Somalia and Sudan. For the 2025-2028 and 2029-2032 cycles, beIN has exclusive rights to all AFC competitions across 17 MENA countries and nonexclusive rights in six MENA countries.
Through this partnership, beIN Sports will showcase the new AFC rights on its four dedicated AFC channels, which will all allow concurrent viewing of games.
Ghallab Mohamed joins BSS as General Manager
Broadcast & Studio Solutions (BSS) has appointed Ghallab Mohamed as GM for the MEA region with a focus on all broadcast, media, telco and A/V business, including conventional broadcast, filebased media solutions (FBMS) and BIT, RF transmission, satellite transmission solutions, DSNGs, IPTV, OTT and headend solutions.
BSS CEO Tareq Eid said: “Ghallab’s appointment puts the company on track, he will be in charge of managing the operations, systems and professional services to expand BSS’ Broadcast, Media Services & System Solutions business further, develop and support their growth strategy in the Middle East and Africa.”
Mohamed has more than 25 years of media industry experience working inside projects, system sales, system integration, managed professional services, manufacturing and the company’s full operations.
Ghallab Mohamed.
Indian actress launches Abu Dhabi production house
Indian actress Nitu Chandra Srivastava has launched Champaran Talkies Studios FZ LLC in Abu Dhabi, an extension of her Mumbaibased production house. The aim is to produce international movies that appeal to a global audience. To achieve this, she plans to set up an all-women team of above-the-line talented technicians who can help produce quality content.
“With this all-women team at Champaran Talkies Studios, I aim to provide better access for women in the field of movie-making and production. I believe that I can find the right talent from different ethnicities for my projects owing to UAE’s international integration and presence of 200+ nationalities in one space.”
Warner Bros. Discovery and Intigral collaborated last month to launch a new six-part reality gameshow, Dare to Take Risks, starring Arab influencers Amy Roko, Hadeel Marei and Maha Jaafar. It follows their journey as they traverse culturally rich and iconic destinations in KSA, the UAE and Egypt. From conquering mountains to jumping from heights and diving 50 metres underwater, their friendship and resilience are put to the ultimate test. Shot in some of the MENA region’s landmarks, the series champions the wonders of the Arab world, taking viewers on an adventure journey.
Dare to Take Risks will see three Arab influencers traverse culturally rich destinations in the Arab world.
Evision launches Emasala Simply South movie channel
Evision and Simply South, an online streaming platform with South Indian content, have launched Emasala Simply South, a trilingual movie channel for UAE viewers. Owned and operated by evision, the media & entertainment arm of e& life, it will showcase the latest movies in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu as early as four weeks after theatrical release. It will focus on Tamil movies five days a week, with Malayalam on Saturdays and Telugu on Tuesdays.
Evision CEO Olivier Bramly said: “Currently, a large subscriber base of eLife TV in the UAE is from the Indian subcontinent, and the vast majority of those are from the south of India, mainly watching Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada content. The partnership with Simply South will give our viewers a flavour of the best and latest content from the greatest in the film industry.”
Simply South founder Anish Wadhwa added: “We are honoured to collaborate with evision and bring unparalleled entertainment to the Indian diaspora.”
Red Sea Film Festival picks seven classics for Treasures category
Red Sea International Film Festival has announced the seven films that will be part of its Red Sea: Treasures section. The second edition of RedSeaIFF will take place at the Ritz-Carlton in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from December 1-10, 2022.
Antoine Khalife, Director of Arab Programmes & Film Classics of RedSeaIFF, said: “Red Sea: Treasures is a celebration of some of the iconic and widely acclaimed cinematic storytelling ever to grace the screen. I’m thrilled that through the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation, we
AlUla features some of the most dramatic landscapes in the world.
On-site for the filming of Ric Roman Waugh’s upcoming action thriller Kandahar, starring Gerard Butler have been able to restore two Egyptian classics which have been meticulously restored for a new generation of audiences to enjoy.”
The line-up includes Bend it Like Beckham, La Grande Illusion, Sambizanga, Stranger than Paradise, Lion of the Desert, Khali Balak Min Zouzou and Gharam Fil Karnak. The last two are Egyptian classics – Khali Balak Min Zouzou is directed by Hassan Al-Imam (1972), and Gharam Fil Karnak by Ali Reda (1967).
Both have been restored and will be screened as part of the programme.
Film AlUla supports Red Sea fest as strategic sponsor
Film AlUla, a film agency that promotes and supports film and TV production in the county of AlUla in northwest Saudi Arabia, has strengthened its ties with RedSeaIFF as a strategic sponsor of this year’s edition. Film AlUla will present the Audience Award and the Best Saudi Film Award, each with a $50,000 prize.
The Audience Award is vote-based and audiencedriven, and designed to encourage festivalgoer engagement with the films. The Best Saudi Film Award, voted on by the audience at the festival, celebrates creative Saudi talent and innovative Saudi works that are faithful to their identity, heritage and cultural depth, boasting originality in their presentation.
AlUla locations, featuring some of the most dramatic landscapes in the world, have welcomed a slate of local, regional and international productions. Productions most recently shot in AlUla include Ric Roman Waugh’s upcoming action thriller Kandahar, starring Gerard Butler; the Russo brothers’ intense drama Cherry, starring Tom Holland; and Saudi filmmaker Tawfik Alzaidi’s debut feature Norah, featuring an all-Saudi cast.
Since opening for production in 2020, Film AlUla has been developing a film-friendly ecosystem and is currently leading the development of a landmark infrastructure project which will see the first phase comprised of two purpose-built stateof-the-art film studios.
Red Sea festival announces films for Red Sea: Shorts
The Red Sea: Shorts competition has announced the first selection of 13 short films. It offers filmmakers from diverse backgrounds and different countries across the region the opportunity to present new narratives around life in the Arab world that are both innovative and authentic. The slate of shorts, many of which are world premieres, celebrates the best short filmmaking from across the region.
The films are Sisters of the Rotation, Warsha, In the Long Run, On My Father’s Grave, Earth is Weeping, its Water are Tears, Naima’s Movie, Zoo, The Last Displaced, Night Shift, Kroka, Keratin Day, VHS Tape Replaced and Koora.
Ooredoo TV opts for Ateme’s Titan encoders
Rajesh Jagadish, Sales Director – MEA, Ateme.
Ooredoo TV, the TV arm of Ooredoo Qatar, went live with an IPTV/OTT converged headend powered by Ateme’s Titan encoders last month. It offers Ooredoo an all-inone solution for its current IPTV infrastructure and its plans to migrate services to OTT for its lineup of 450 linear channels and 1,000+ hours of offline content. The project was completed in 12 weeks with zero downtime.
Saoud Al-Shammeri, Assistant Director of TV & Multimedia at Ooredoo Qatar, said: “We wanted a solution that would meet our streaming requirements, while also being ready for the future. Ateme’s converged headend, with its high-density Titan encoders, fit our vision perfectly. It enabled us to optimise our data centre costs by having a dense solution without any compromise on quality, while also providing an agile and flexible solution to reach more customers on the devices of their choice.”
Rajesh Jagadish, Sales Director – MEA at Ateme, added: “This project ensures that Ooredoo customers continue to be served with pristine video quality at the lowest latency. We are proud to have accompanied Ooredoo in this transformation and enabled their viewers to stream their preferred content to any device.”
Saoud Al-Shammeri, Asst Director of TV & Multimedia, Ooredoo Qatar
VITEC inaugurates regional headquarters in Dubai
VITEC launched an office in Dubai last month. The new regional HQ is part of VITEC's long-term Middle East growth plan with particular focus on Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Egypt. It is expecting a 50% growth in revenue in 2022. With a regional team of nine in Dubai and four in KSA, the ME team covers sales, business development, pre-sales and post-sales.
VITEC’s Dubai office launch follows its acquisition of Exterity, signalling the company’s intent to solidify its place as a major player in video streaming, IPTV and digital signage solutions. VITEC used its large team of over 200 to accelerate the development of new features for Exterity’s solutions, which are now fully integrated into the VITEC portfolio.
Nicolas Pons, VP of Business Development Middle East at VITEC, said: "We believe this investment will strengthen our presence and expand our reach into new business opportunities, markets and verticals in the region."
At the inauguration of VITEC's Dubai office.
Measat to migrate BeIN Sports channels to new satellite
Malaysian satellite operator Measat has begun migrating beIN Sports channels in Asia to its new Measat3d satellite. They will be the first set of broadcast channels to begin operations on the new satellite, which launched on 22 June.
The transition is being delivered in partnership with Globecast, beIN Sports’ solutions provider for media and content management. After October 31, all three pan-regional channels of beIN Sports content covering the Asia-Pacific region will be based on the Measat-3d satellite, which carries C- and Kuband payloads for directto-home (DTH) services.
Ganendra Selvaraj, Chief Commercial Officer at Measat, said: “Measat is proud to be the satellite service provider of choice for beIN Sports, in partnership with Globecast. For Measat, the video segment continues to be a core focus and we are committed to providing reliable services for this segment, in cooperation with partners, content providers and channel operators.”
Abu Dhabi Media commissions Arabic version of In Treatment
Abu Dhabi Media has signed an agreement with Israeli distributor Dori Media Group (DMG) to create an Arabic adaptation of critically acclaimed psychological drama In Treatment.
As part of the agreement, ADM will produce 45 episodes to be broadcast on Abu Dhabi TV and the ADtv app.
In Treatment was created in Israel in 2005 by Sheleg Productions under the title BeTipul. It has since been adapted in more than 20 countries worldwide. The agreement to produce the show was announced at MIPCOM Cannes and is the latest in a series of deals between the two companies, including unscripted formats The Selfie Challenge and Win the Crowd.
Abdulraheem Alnuaimi, acting GM of ADM, said: “In Treatment will be an exciting addition to Abu Dhabi TV Network’s offering and we expect a huge success for the Arabic version of it. The deal is significant not only for ADM but also the wider sector in the UAE, as authorities step up efforts to establish the country as a global media and entertainment hub.”
Dune sequel to be shot in Abu Dhabi this month
Dune: Part II will come to the Liwa Desert in Abu Dhabi for over a month in November 2022, taking advantage of the 30% cash rebate on productions offered by the Abu Dhabi Film Commission, while production services will be provided by Epic Films, along with support from a number of UAE production partners. Abu Dhabi will reprise its role as the iconic setting of the desert planet Arrakis in Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel.
Legendary Films, the producer of Dune, will be hiring five interns from the UAE to experience first-hand what it is like to work on the set of a film. The production company also plans to hold seminars in Abu Dhabi for aspiring filmmakers and technicians in the UAE to learn more about the different areas of film production.
Dune is among more than 130 major productions that have used Abu Dhabi as a location in recent years, benefiting from the diversity of its locations, pool of talented professionals, awardwinning facilities and 30% cashback rebate.
Dune is among more than 130 major productions that have been shot in Abu Dhabi.
India TV appoints NKN Media as UAE distribution partner
From left: Rajat Sharma, Abdul Majid Khan & Ritu Dhawan.
Indian news channel India TV has appointed NKN Media FZC as its exclusive ad sales and distribution partner in the region. NKN Media will launch the channel on eLife from Etisalat. Roundthe-clock news coverage on India and the rest of the world will be available on the channel, which is already available in North America and will soon launch across other major markets with diaspora audiences.
Ritu Dhawan, MD of India TV, said: “India TV’s aim is to inform and empower global Indians with accurate, indepth, unfiltered, fact-based journalism without any bias, outrage or sensationalism and establishing India TV as the best and most trusted place for news. Making India TV available in the UAE is one more step towards our goal.”
Abdul Majid Khan, CEO of NKN Media, added: “We are certain that the partnership will be productive for both India TV and NKN Media, besides bringing in the channel for the huge Hindi news consumer base. The partnerships that we have engaged with in the past have helped NKN Media expand considerably over the last few years. Increasing our portfolio with onboarding channels of the likes of India TV only is a result of the growing appetite of the audience, and we are glad to cater to their needs.”
Netflix and Studio Production Training tie to launch KSA development programme
Netflix and Studio Production Training (SPT), a Saudi production training studio, have launched Below the Line KSA, a development programme designed to train and upskill 15 talented young Saudis through on-set training and workshops focused on art department and production roles.
Through the programme, SPT and Netflix aim to establish an infrastructure of below-the-line talent in Saudi by providing promising candidates access to vocational and practical training, inspired by global best practices. It will enable up-andcoming filmmakers in Saudi to break into the industry by providing them with the right skills and opportunities to build a career in film and television, and generate a qualified network of talent for the local film industry.
The programme is being rolled out in two phases, with the first one kicking off in November with a 10day workshop focused on introducing art department roles including production design, art direction and set building. The second phase will run in January with another 10-day workshop focused on production roles for aspiring line producers, production managers and assistant directors. Each candidate will have the opportunity to join a Netflix production as an assistant director, line producer, production manager/assistant, art director or prop master.
Hajar Alnaim, co-founder and CEO of SPT, said: “As a producer myself, one area that I know must grow is our pool of below-the-line talent. I feel this is a vital group of professionals that’s essential for our shared success and is underserved in development at the moment. That’s where the idea for SPT was born. A solution that benefits our entire industry, not just the company offering the training or the production that is training its own crew. We want to create a film industry that works for Saudi and not just emulates other countries. This is about creating a unified expectation of excellence to produce some of the finest film and television talent in the world.”
Netflix is working with its production partners in Saudi Arabia, who will nominate people from their teams to participate in the programme. The candidates can be Saudi nationals or residents.
The Below the Line KSA programme will train and upskill 15 talented Saudi nationals through workshops.
Well-known media personality Abu Rashid performs the formal inauguration of 360 Radio with Sheikh Sultan Bin Saqr Al Nuaimi, CEO of 360 Radio watching.
SynProNize to represent MX Player for original content
Indian video streaming platform MX Player has appointed SynProNize, a Dubai-based content distribution and production company, as the licensing representative for its original content. It By leveraging MX Player’s popularity and content portfolio, SynProNize stands to gain a strong foothold in these promising markets and strengthen its position in the OTT segment.
UAE launches 360 Radio for expatriate communities
360 Radio, a station for expatriates and families in the Gulf region with education as a thrust area, has been launched by Abu Rashid, a renowned Arab media personality in the UAE. The bilingual station, operating primarily in English and Malayalam, will also have entertainment and educational programmes in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali and other South Indian languages. The online radio is equipped with the latest smart software and technologies. Educational programmes will also be available as podcasts on the website, while the social media accounts will present current affairs and expatriate news.
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