Arabian Business

FC Barcelona to vote on scrapping Qatar Foundation's sponsorship deal

editor — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 02:58:30 -0700

According to ArabianBusiness.com, the board of European champions FC Barcelona will be voting on whether to scrap the club's $225m sponsorship deal with Qatar Foundation following a five-and-a-half year shirt sponsorship deal in December which relegated its UNICEF logo to the back of the shirt.

The club's decision to collect money for the first time in its history, to display a logo on its jerseys, has prompted thousands of fans to sign a petition calling for the deal to be scrapped.

The fans' opposition has pressured Barcelona's board to re-think the deal.

Al Jazeera’s Director General Wadah Khanfar resigns

editor — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 11:10:41 -0700

Director-General of Al Jazeera satellite TV network, Wadah Khanfar, who led the network for eight years, has resigned on Tuesday, reportedly to be replaced by a member of the Gulf’s state ruling family, according to Arabian Business. The man widely seen as the face of Arab media will be replaced by Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani, press reports said. Al Jazeera has not yet announced his successor.

Since it was launched in 1996, Al Jazeera has become the highest-profile satellite news broadcaster in the Middle East. It has frequently had difficulties with Western and Arab governments in a region where governments have traditionally kept tight control over state media.

UAE may enforce a law regarding spreading "rumours" through social media

editor — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 02:23:28 -0700

There have been recent media reports of the UAE enforcing a law that prescribes three to ten years imprisonment for spreading rumours through social media. This has evoked a shock for many people in the region.

The reports have triggered a heated debate on Qatari social networking sites with people arguing if such a law was needed at all and whether Qatar should follow suit. However, most commentators, though strongly opposed to rumour-mongering, said they favoured free expression through the Internet.

Social networking new craze among Middle East hoteliers

editor — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 23:56:15 -0700

Social networking sites are proving highly popular among Middle East hoteliers looking to get on board with region’s the online marketing craze. Websites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Youtube are gaining increasingly more attention from both value and luxury hotels, often playing a pivotal role in their wider marketing campaigns.

According to hotel managers, the sites’ ability to communicate with thousands of potential customers makes them an effective medium for raising brand awareness, increasing customer interaction and plugging promotions.

National Geographic Abu Dhabi best known brand on social networks in UAE

editor — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 03:03:14 -0700

According to the Grafdom’s Social Media Brands Index, a study which comprises a listing of the UAE's 100 most influential corporate brands and individuals on social networks, National Geographic Abu Dhabi has topped the list as best known brand on social networks, followed by Emirates Airlines and Sony ME, Arabian Business reports.

"The results reaffirm the role social media has grown to play in the corporate sector. Brands that were unheard of just a few years back currently maintain a loyal following on social networks and are equipped to drive substantial business gains through it," said Farid Gasim, director of operations, Grafdom.

Check out the top 10 most influential profiles on the list here.

Bloomberg revenues rise 15.6% in Middle East

editor — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 13:09:52 -0700

Bloomberg has seen Middle East revenues rise by 15.6 per cent in 2010, according to the New York-based financial data giant, and expects sales in emerging markets to grow at 15 to 20 per cent annually, Arabian Business has reported.

The firm, founded by New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, and which has around 300,000 subscribers worldwide, has doubled the number of staff in its Dubai-based office, and on Wednesday opened a new office in Mumbai, tripling its staff.

Egyptian army instructed to protect foreign media

editor — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 14:20:13 -0800

Arabian Business reports that Egypt’s army has been instructed to protect foreign media and journalists from groups in civilian clothes who have been attacking them. The US and Britain among others have condemned the intimidation following a number of harassments of foreign reporters from The New York Times, Washington Post, Reuters, and other news agencies covering the events in Egypt.

Iran shuts News Corp office

editor — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 12:49:54 -0800

Arabian Business reports that Iran has closed the Tehran office of a television channel partly owned by News Corp and operated by a Dubai-based firm and arrested five employees for “helping the anti-revolutionary movement”, the semi-official Mehr news agency said on Tuesday. Iranian authorities were in the past critical of the channel, saying its programmes were contradictory to Iran’s Islamic and revolutionary values and stated that they would close down publications that carry news of the opposition movement.

Rotana Holding restructures into four business units

editor — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 03:15:41 -0700

Arabian Business reports that Rotana Holding’s chairman, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Alsaud, has approved a decision to restructure the group’s management into four separate business units: TV broadcasting, audio, studios and Rotana Media Services (RMS). The digital media business and emerging business for each sector will be handled separately within by each unit.

No plans for Google to roll-out new VOIP in Middle East

editor — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:49:23 -0700

Arabian Business reports that Google has denied that it will provide Middle East versions of its new Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), which was rolled out in the US last month. Local media had reported that the web giant would be providing localised versions of the Google Voice, according to the source, although Google described this as “pure speculation”.