MBC Group

MBC Group announces television breakthrough

editor — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:22:23 -0800

MBC Group has announced a breakthrough in the region’s television industry with the launch of the Middle East’s first ever experiential TV drama, 04 (“zero four”). The drama started airing on January 14.

Laying to rest weeks of speculation, Ali Jaber, Group TV Director at MBC Group, revealed that 04 is the name of an ‘entirely new TV experience’ that forms one of the centre-pieces of MBC4’s prime time schedule in 2012.

At the heart of ‘04’ lies a TV drama revolving around the lives of four young men as they grapple with their day-to-day lives in Dubai. However, the 04 concept extends far beyond a traditional TV drama.

As part of this, viewers are able to track each character’s thoughts and life in real time through their social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter and Google+, and even follow one character’s online blog. But, like the real world, this isn’t a one-way conversation as characters can engage with friends and followers. It amounts to a whole new TV experience that blurs the lines between reality and fiction and responds to the evolving desires of the youth audience to be engaged, entertained and involved.

Announcing the project, Mazen Hayek, MBC’s Official Spokesman, Group Director of PR & Commercial, said it represented a breakthrough in the way media channels conceive of and deliver entertainment content to an increasingly media savvy and mobile audience.

“The 04 multi-platform TV experience is one of the most ambitious projects MBC has ever taken on”, Hayek said. “It’s a recognition of the rapidly discerning nature of the youth audience and the increasingly competitive nature of our business. Channels that stand still and fail to recognise and embrace the way that young people live their lives and move today will find themselves becoming irrelevant and out of touch – fast.”

MBC hopes that the ‘experiential TV’ model behind 04 will push the industry both within the region and beyond. Such an ambitious project has rarely been seen anywhere else in the world, maintaining MBC’s position as the leading pioneer of entertainment in the region.

Mazen Hayek added that it is fitting that this ‘world first’ approach should be born in the Middle East, where meeting the demands of a growing youth population is one of the major challenges for any business over the coming years.

“The Middle East is one of the most vibrant and dynamic places in which to operate at the moment precisely because we have such a large youthful and talented population. It’s shaping the future in a way many of us have never seen. For a business such as MBC, the challenge is to embrace this phenomenon. 04 is about more than four young men, it’s about reflecting the lives of every youth out there and the struggles they face in a rapidly changing world. This is about listening to an audience that has rarely been heard - and responding to it, engaging them on their terms and giving them a voice and platform to talk to us – and each other,” he concluded.

‘04’ launches with the first season of 20 episodes. The series is accompanied by a live microsite that integrates feeds from the 04 social universe including character Facebook updates, Tweets, Google + hangouts, blog posts and an evolving suite of new and innovative features over the year. Online character personalities are fully integrated with those seen in the series with updates even happening as episodes are airing.

Equally, digital media is being used to provide extra content, including exclusive ‘webisodes’ and trailers that provide viewers with further insights into character backgrounds and evolving storylines between seasons. All of this follows one of the most innovative transmedia teaser campaigns in the region that embraced the best of traditional and digital media to build interest and engagement in the concept.

“04 is not just another TV show,” said Fadi Ismail the series’ Executive producer and General Manager of O3 Productions. “It’s a whole new way of looking at TV. From the writing, the directing, the format, the microsite, the whole transmedia engagement idea, even the title sequence. We’re talking about nothing less than a reimagining of TV, and the first example of what I hope will become the industry standard in years to come.”

04 is a joint production between MBC Group Content, 03 Productions and BPG Group, who are partnering as marketing, creative, digital and target audience consultants.

MBC Group announces new partnership with Yahlive to offer its HD service

editor — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:51:51 -0800

MBC Group, the private free-to-air satellite broadcasting company in the Arab World, and YahLive, the UAE based satellite operator, announced today during a joint press conference held at MBC Headquarters, a strategic long-term partnership to broadcast seven of MBC's channels in HD through YahLive's satellite service.

The partnership agreement means that viewers of YahLive, which broadcasts at 52.5ºE, across the Middle East, North Africa can now access MBC Group's top rated channels: MBC 1; MBC 2, MBC 4; MBC Action; MBC Drama; MBC MAX; and Al Arabiya News Channel, all in the highest quality HD.

The agreement was signed by MBC Group's CEO, Sam Barnett, and Mohamed Youssif, CEO of YahLive. Commenting on the partnership, Sam Barnett, MBC Group CEO, said, "We are pleased to announce this partnership with YahLive. YahLive is building a proposition based on High Definition (HD) television and aims to attract audiences from across the region. Our channels are 'required viewing' for many in the Middle East and the ability to watch them in HD is becoming increasingly attractive. This deal should therefore create a strong partnership."

"Our partnership with MBC Group is another key milestone in the evolution of YahLive and is another example of our strategic vision to become the HD Hotspot for the region and beyond," said Mohamed Youssif, CEO of YahLive.

"Ensuring that our customers have access to the number one channels and programmes is of paramount importance to us, and it is clear that MBC's offering is amongst the most popular in the region. We are embarking on an extremely important stage in our development to become the region's satellite broadcaster of choice and are preparing to make more announcements shortly, which will continue to strengthen our customer offering," he concluded.

YahLive has benefited from the shared knowledge and experience of the satellite operator SES, Using SES's extensive knowledge of HD TV, YahLive have developed a high quality, robust and secure HD TV standard for its services in the region. SES operates 49 Direct-to-Home (DTH) platform across the globe, carrying nearly 6,000 TV channels, out of which more than 1000 are HD.

YahLive is a partnership company with Yahsat, the United Arab Emirates-based satellite communications company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, and the global satellite operator SES.

Sony Pictures Television set to produce "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune" in Arabic

editor — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 02:24:21 -0700

Sony Pictures Television Arabia has unveiled its plans to remake popular American game showsin Arabic. The Production company will produce 30 minute episodes of "Wheel of Fortune" for Egyptian broadcaster Al Hayat, and produce one hour episodes of "Jeopardy" for the Dubai based MBC group.

Sony Pictures Television owns the rights to several other American television shows that may be reworked for the Middle Eastern audience. Potential candidates include popular game show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" and award winning sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond".

Mindshare Media Summit 2011 debates future of digital media, opportunities and challenges

editor — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:50:44 -0700

During the annual Mindshare Media Summit that was held at the Address Dubai Marina Hotel on November 1st 2011, attended by a number of executives from large multinational media groups, communication and advertising agencies, a panel session was held to debate the future of digital media, opportunities and challenges, and the impact of technology on TV content.

Participating in this panel was Mazen Hayek, Group Director of PR & Commercial/official Spokesman of "MBC Group", and Jonathan Howlett, SVP International Sales at "BBC Worldwide". The panel was moderated by Greg Brooks, Content Strategy Director at "C Squared".

Tackling this issue at the panel, Mazen Hayek started by stressing on the importance of investing in content, both traditional and new (digital), elevating it to world-class standards, and delivering it to the viewers and Arab readers across various platforms, whether they be fixed, mobile or interactive platforms. He further added that the challenge lies in expanding the advertising market in the MENA region and developing it, noting that the total annual regional ad spend is approximately 1% of total worldwide ad spend, and therefore perceives a potential to double the size of the market in comparison with the already economically and technologically advanced markets.

This in return will provide the necessary capabilities to invest in content that is of high quality, nurture human resources and talents while building knowledge economies, to eventually benefit companies and individuals working within the content industry.

In conclusion, Hayek stressed that advertising is the backbone of information in all its forms, and that TV will remain the main source of entertainment and information- as well as education in the region, pointing to the role that "new media" plays, and confirming that content remains as the pedestal, wherever and however displayed: on screen, on mobile, online, in print or any other platform and device.

World-renowned speakers gather at ArabNet Conference hosted by Cairo for the first time

editor — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 04:49:30 -0700

Under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Mohamad Salem, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, and in collaboration with The Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (TIEC), ArabNet will hold its first digital conference in Cairo at the Smart Village on October 19-20, 2011. ArabNet Cairo 2011 aims to explore the latest trends and technologies in web and mobile, showcase promising digital ideas and startups in the region, and highlight the potential for digital enterprises in the Egyptian market, currently one of the largest in the Arab World.

Cutting-edge talks at the conference will directly address the current Egyptian issues, specifically the role of social entrepreneurship in building a new social, economic and political environment. Conference attendees will benefit from over 40 globally-renowned digital experts introducing new perspectives, such as Rishi Saha, Regional Director at Hill and Knowlton, and former Head of Digital Communications- Office of the Prime Minister of the UK, who will be discussing the process of building more participatory and transparent governments.

Other prestigious speakers at the conference include Sidar Sahin, CEO of Peak Games, one of the top 10 largest gaming companies in the world, and a first-time speaker in the region; Hossam Sokkari, Head of Audience at Yahoo! Middle East; Karim Khalifa, CEO & Co-Founder of Digital Republic; Ammar Bakkar, Director of Mobile at MBC Group; Ahmed El-Alfi: Chairman & Co-founder of Sawari Ventures; Tom Erskine, Head of Smart Devices at NOKIA, Middle East & Africa amongst many others.

With the breadth of expertise of its speakers, the conference will address the hottest topics in the industry, and will cater to a wide range of interests, from those looking to learn about investing in web and mobile, to e-commerce, social commerce and loyalty, digital marketing and advertising, social media, location-based services, mobile apps, gaming, and more.

Omar Christidis, founder of ArabNet says: "The conference will not only explore the latest developments in web and mobile as perceived by people on the cutting-edge of their fields, but it will look at the interplay of digital tools and technologies and economic and social development, with an emphasis on the case of Egypt, making it a very timely event."

ArabNet Cairo 2011 is expected to draw an audience of over 600 global players and entrepreneurs in the digital field. The conference will greatly help to build the desired links between Egyptian innovators and foreign venture capital in the IT sector, which will strengthen the Egyptian economy. Christidis added: "ArabNet Cairo will bring together all those who work in different areas in the digital field, from e-commerce to digital advertising. It presents a unique opportunity to connect with global leaders, creating new work opportunities." The conference has been generously supported by a number of high-profile community, supporting, association, entrepreneur, and event-ticketing partners, as well as prestigious sponsors, including OT Ventures (Linkonline) as Platinum Sponsor for the event.

One of the most exciting ways in which the conference will help develop digital entrepreneurship is through its Ideathon and Startup Demo competitions. The Ideathon and Startup Demo are pitch sessions that invite entrepreneurs with the top 10 digital ideas, and top 10 startups in the region respectively, to showcase their projects before the audience of the conference. These pitch sessions present a rare chance for Arab entrepreneurs to highlight their potential and to attract the funding and mentorship they need to launch their projects. ArabNet Cairo received over 300 applications for the Ideathon and Startup Demo competitions, which is a testament to the enthusiasm and promise amongst Egyptian and Arab youth for digital entrepreneurship. The top 10 finalists for each competition just been announced at: www.arabnet.me

With over 25 million internet users, the highest number in the region, close to 75 million mobile subscribers, and almost 8.5 million on Facebook, Egypt presents itself as a formidable market and ideal host for ArabNet Cairo 2011, which will delve into the dynamics of the country while shedding light on the latest in the field. "Anyone who is in the web and mobile industry cannot ignore the Egyptian market," said Omar Christidis. "The ArabNet Cairo conference will bring together all those involved in the sector in Egypt, presenting the most effective access point to the market."

Royal Jet signs deal with MBC Group

editor — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 11:01:34 -0700

Royal Jet, the international luxury executive flight services company based in Abu Dhabi and chaired by His Excellency Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, announced that MBC Group is the latest company to recognise the business benefits of private air travel.

Shane O'Hare, Royal Jet President and CEO signed an agreement with Sam Barnett, MBC Group's Chief Operating Officer, whereby MBC will have a long-term block charter arrangement with Royal Jet.

"We are delighted to forge this relationship with MBC, adding another leading regional blue chip company to the ranks of organisations who recognize that private aviation - and Royal Jet's world class service - is a highly attractive option for travelling executives," said O'Hare. "In its simplest term, MBC recognizes that time is equal to money."

Also present at the ceremony held in Royal Jet's Headquarters were Royal Jet's, Chief Financial Officer, Richard Roth, Vice President Commercial, Fahad Wali and Director of Protocol, Nasser Al Dhaheri. From MBC were Muhammad Rashed - Director of Executive Office, Mazen Hayek- Group Director of PR & Commercial and Sharif Badreddine - Commercial Director.

"I praise the growth and success of Royal Jet and I look forward to enjoying their exceptional world-class standards of product and service excellence," said MBC Group Chairman, Sheikh Walid Bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim.

Sam Barnett- MBC Group's COO reinforced Sheikh Al Ibrahmin's views, saying that MBC values this arrangement with Royal Jet and aspires for a mutually beneficial collaboration.

O'Hare added that MBC joins a growing number of regional organisations in recognising how the utilisation of private aviation among others adds the benefit of direct routes and short sectors allowing more time to be devoted to actually getting business done.

"In addition this mode of travel affords more privacy, greater luxury and comfort which results in a more pleasant and productive journey," he said. "It is great that MBC Group see private jet travel as a business tool that makes actual, real and accountable contributions to the company."

Regional media industry leaders to gather in Abu Dhabi for Medialive

editor — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 02:33:22 -0700

Turret Media announced the programme for Medialive! - a highly innovative showcase for the Middle East's media industry, set to take place from 18 to 19 October 2011, at Park Rotana, in Abu Dhabi.

Medialive! will address the opportunities and challenges presented by the Middle East's ever-changing media landscape and provide in-depth knowledge on mediums that will define the next wave of industry growth.

The comprehensive education programme features the Media Business Conference, the Government Summit as well as a series of free-to-attend sessions including Spotlight talks and Creative and Design Masterclasses.

This two day line-up will feature more than 50 speakers and over 20 focused sessions exploring next generation content creation across multiple platforms and user environments, and managing a mix of monetization models.

Media professionals from the private and government sector now have the opportunity to hear from the industry's best and brightest.

Influential players from the region and around the world confirmed to participate include: Discovery Communications, BBC Worldwide, European Broadcasting Union, Yahoo! Middle East, MBC Group, Dubai Media Inc, Google Middle East & North Africa, Etisalat, Ericsson, Filmworks, Nokia Siemens Networks and Abu Dhabi Media.

Chris Fountain, Managing Director at Turret Media - organiser of the event said, "The pan-Arab media industry is growing faster than that of any other region, at about 19 percent per year, with both online and offline channels expanding and even feeding off one another. To maximize their profile, revenue and profitability, media businesses need to optimize the impact of targeted content creation and digital connectivity while indentifying the latest consumer trends and major media innovations."

Medialive! is a hub for media and marketing professionals, creative agency executives, producers, broadcasters, mobile companies, technology companies and academics associated with the media sector.

"The conference establishes a solid convergence and communications module among all media tools for industry professionals to take advantage of the abundant growth opportunities," Fountain added.

At the Media Business Conference topic-driven panels, case studies and interactive discussions will uncover strategies and explore top issues impacting media companies and platforms such as connected TV, social TV, online advertising, transmedia storytelling and branded content.

Running alongside the conference, will be the Government Summit @ Medialive!, where communication executives will discuss the changes in media consumption habits and identify new media trends for government personnel responsible for the marketing, PR and communications sent out by government departments. This comprehensive and interactive program is structured to help the government sector take advantage of new media technologies and platforms to transform public communications and marketing strategies.

Twofour54, the Abu Dhabi-based content creation zone, will also run a series of free Creative and Design Masterclasses delivered by certified instructors in training sessions such as Adobe Production and Apple Final Cut X. This hands-on, interactive programme is for intermediate and advanced professionals. The Masterclasses will provide unrivalled access to the best tools and training on the latest techniques in delivering and creating digital media content.

The official Gold Sponsor for Medialive is Mediacast, one of the leading solution providers in the Middle East for the Audio-Video Production and Broadcast industries and partners of Avid and Apple.

"With so many brilliant thinkers in attendance, media professionals get hands-on knowledge on how to orient their growth agendas and prioritize their efforts on building capacity and capability," Fountain concluded.

MBC Group re-launches online TV library Shahid.net

editor — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:46:41 -0700

MBC Group has re-launched Shahid, the first free 'video-on-demand' website in the region before Ramadan. It is the first website of its kind to provide series, programs, cartoons, documentaries from the content of MBC channels as well as other Arabic TV content. Launched with over 200 titles, the website offers prime time show programming, twenty six of which are new releases, which will debut in Ramadan and cover almost every genre, from comedy, to drama and religion.

Commenting on the launch, Abe Naga, Online Business Manager at MBC Group, said, "Shahid is more than just a catch-up service, it is a target destination for premium video content."

Abe added, "We take pride in having the biggest online TV library in the region that hosts the most popular Arabic TV shows, animated series and documentaries, not to mention flagship Ramadan programs on MBC such as Bab El Hara, TASH, Khawater, as well as prominent Egyptian, Persian, Indian and Turkish series. We also plan to launch titles from studios such as HBO and Warner."

Shahid.net attracted over 5 million visits during the month of Ramadan last year, and has since clocked up over 30 million visits, as 1 in 5 new visitors to the service convert to regular users. Shahid users in MENA, USA and Europe like what they see, and with 8 out of 10 returning daily, the service has seen a +111% year-on-year growth in average monthly unique visitors this year, so far (January - May 2011) - tracking well ahead of industry forecasts for the yearly growth in Internet users in MENA.

Abe added, "Arabic being one of the fastest growing languages today, there is a demand for high quality Arabic content which Shahid delivers, while enhancing the TV viewing experience, facilitating TV everywhere, on every Internet-connected device consumers feel comfortable using...etc" This re-launch takes further cognizance of the evolving consumer media landscape by adding more functionality, content and a better user experience."

MBC Group signs deal with Technosat to offer viewers HD TV

editor — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 11:53:13 -0700

Irshad Contractor, Chairman - Technosat & Sam Barnett, COO - MBC Group

During a joint signing ceremony at MBC Headquarters, Sam Barnett, COO MBC Group, and Irshad Contractor, Chairman of Technosat, signed a major new deal to offer MBC viewers High Definition 'HD' TV as of July 1st 2011.

Elaborating further on this deal, Sam Barnett, COO, MBC Group said: "As of July 1st, all MBC viewers will be able to enjoy up-to 7 of our current 10 channels in HD. Moreover, viewers can watch the channels for free. They will need to have a HD TV and they'll need a Technosat HD set top box. However, once they have the equipment, they'll be able to see most of MBC Group channels in High Definition quality." Barnett added that only the Technosat HD set top box would enable viewers to see the MBC HD channels.

On his part, Irshad Contractor, Chairman of Technosat said: "We are pleased to be working closely with MBC Group on this milestone deal. We firmly believe that our set top boxes are the most affordable with state-of-art advanced technology for the High Definition satellite reception, and first of its kind in the MENA region. With our boxes and MBC's channels, we have a winning combination." Contractor added, "We are one of the leading manufacturers and wholesalers of Satellite equipment in the region, and we shall be distributing the HD boxes across the Middle East."

Mohammad Windawee, Director of Distribution, MBC Group, commented on the deal: "We are signing with Technosat so that our viewers across the MENA region will have the opportunity to get the right HD set top box and start to view for free. This deal cements MBC's position as a pioneer of high quality free to air TV in the region".

News and Current Affairs channels have the highest average advertising rates among FTA satellite TV channels in the Arab World

editor — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:42:33 -0700

The peak average advertising rates of Free-to-Air satellite News and Current Affairs channels in the Arab World reaches US$ 5,419 for a 30-second advertisement aired between 21:00 – 22:00 KSA according to Arab Advisors Group's recent advertising rates analysis.

Arab Advisors Group’s analysis of advertising rates across 38 Free-to-Air satellite TV channels reveals that FTA satellite TV average ad rates are highest during night time between 21:00 and 22:00 KSA. The average advertising rate for a particular time segment represents the mean advertising rate for a standard 30-second TV commercial spot (known as a TVC) in that time segment throughout the week.

A new report, “Satellite TV Advertising Rates in the Arab World 2011”, was released by the Arab Advisors Group on April 11, 2011 to the Strategic Research Service Media subscribers. The 67-page report, which has 56 detailed exhibits, provides detailed analysis of satellite TV advertising rates across 38 FTA satellite TV channels chosen as a representative sample of the total market. The choice was also partially based on our survey findings with respect to viewership, where the list includes very popular channels as well as much less popular ones. The categories in which the analyzed channels fall under are as follows: Children and Youth channels, General channels, Movies and Series channels, Music channels, News and Current Affairs channels, Religious channels and Sports channels.

“News and Current Affairs channels, General channels and Movies and Series channels have the highest average advertising rates amongst the channel categories covered in this report. The fact that these channel categories have considerably higher advertising rates than the rest of channels could be attributed to a number of factors such as: High viewership and a wide variety of content” Ms. Danya Nusseir, Arab Advisors Senior Research Analyst, commented.

“Of the 38 analyzed FTA satellite TV channels, MBC Group’s Arabic language General channel - MBC1 - has the highest average advertising rate. Whereas, the three Music channels: Mazzika, Melody Arabia and Melody Hits, which have identical ad rates, have the lowest average advertising rates.” Ms. Noura Abdulhadi, Arab Advisors Senior Research Analyst, said.