23 March 2016
From Tuesday 29 March, NHK WORLD TV, the 24-hour international English language channel from Japan’s public service provider, NHK, will launch a consumer-facing, multimedia advertising campaign in the UK with Virgin Media.
Using the slogan ‘Hit the road with NHK WORLD TV’, the campaign is designed to promote NHK WORLD TV’s diverse range of travel programmes, engaging UK audiences in the run up to Japan’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The three-week advertising campaign will launch on Tuesday 29 March with a one day ‘homepage takeover’ on virginmedia.com, showcasing NHK WORLD TV’s travel season. Alongside this, NHK WORLD TV will be advertising its programmes across the London Underground Virgin Media WiFi network, a free extra for major mobile networks in the UK, and Virgin Media TiVo set top boxes.
NHK WORLD TV has also engaged London-based specialist TV PR company, tpr media, to support the promotion of its travel programming output, both to consumer and targeted trade media.
The travel programmes selected for promotion until Tuesday 19 April include:
TOKYO EYE 2020: From iconic landmarks to delicious dishes, this series explores some of the greatest aspects of Tokyo as the Japanese metropolis undergoes a new transformation in the run-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In each programme presenter Chris Peppler examines a different aspect of the city’s development with input from a range of contributors including Tokyo-based photographer Martin Holtkamp.
Weds 00:30-01:00 / 13.30-14.00 / 18.30-19.00
J-Trip Plan: The number of tourists visiting Japan is increasing year on year and their demand for unique experiences in growing too. This series is great resource for travellers who want to learn more about the country’s food, events, fashion, leisure activities and trends, with insider tips on where to go, and how to get there – from mountain temples to cherry blossom festivals. In addition to the weekly programme, presented by Thane Camus and Amy Ota, travellers can discover a wealth of practical advice and interesting facts on J-Trip Plan’s Facebook page.
Mon 15:30-16:00 / 21:30-22:00
Tues 03:30-04:00
Core Kyoto: This fascinating series delves deep into the core of Japan’s ancient capital Kyoto, exploring the city’s 1200 years of history and culture from the kimono and the koto (a long Japanese zither with thirteen strings) to sake and Kannon (the God of Mercy).
Thurs 0:30-01:00 / 06:30-07:00 / 13:30- 14:00 / 18:30-19:00
Journeys in Japan: The series follows English-speaking visitors as they travel through Japan, exploring local culture, meeting the people and offering insider travel tips rarely found in guidebooks. Each episode focuses on a different topic, from Japan’s snowy mountains to its popular hot spring towns. In one programme, model and actor, Dean Newcombe from Newcastle learns about the practice of asceticism in a Zen temple to prepare for ‘Sominsai’, a naked folk festival in Iwate prefecture.
Tue 0:30-01:00 / 06:30-07:00 / 13:30-14:00 / 18:30-19:00
Thurs 15:30-16:00 /21:30-22:00 (Rerun)
Fri 03:30-04:00 (Rerun)
NHK WORLD TV, the 24-hour international English language channel produced by Japan’s public service broadcaster NHK, showcases everything Japanese – from culture to news on the hour and a programming schedule that covers subjects from art and travel, to cookery and science and technology. The channel, which is available on Sky, Freesat, TVPlayer, Virgin Media and a dedicated app, reaches 280 million households in more than 150 countries.
For more details: www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/tv/howto
23 March 2016
Alhurra Television launches a new program that turns the spotlight on successful Egyptian women making their mark on society. Sit B’Mit Ragel (Arabic for ‘A Lady is Worth 100 Men’) profiles four Egyptian women who are embarking on traditionally male dominated jobs. They each talk about their unique journey into their careers and the challenges they have faced trying to make inroads in Cairo’s tough business environment. The reality program delves into their relationships and dealings with colleagues, customers and families alike. A preview of the program can be seen here.
“Unfortunately, many of the stories you hear about women in Egypt have to do with the harassment and the exploitation of women. We wanted to do a program that showcases their successes. These are four engaging and entrepreneurial women who have taken charge of their future and serve as a role model to women around the world,” stated Brian Conniff, President of Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN). MBN manages and oversees Alhurra. “There are many strong women in Egypt and Alhurra is one of the few media outlets where their stories can be told.”
The show focuses on four women with different socioeconomic and generational backgrounds.
- Reem is the owner of Pink Taxis in Cairo, a new taxi cab business that relies solely on female drivers and customers. Pink Taxi allows Egyptian women to have a taxi service they know will provide them a hassle free ride to wherever they are going. The business model will also employ women and provide them with skills and self-reliance.
- Aasma works as a carpenter along with her husband in a small family business. No job is too big or small for Aasma to tackle to the amazement of her family and friends. Her craftsmanship is sought after, though she fights against preconceived notions that women cannot be carpenters, by both men and women. Aasma and her husband Medhat live in a modern blended family.
- Heba and Nira are two sisters expanding their catering business for the first time to include bakery shops where Egyptians can come in an purchase their baked goods. Both women came from different careers before they started baking, Heba in interior design and Nira in public relations. The first shop they want to open is in the Zamalek district of Cairo.
Sit B’Mit Ragel is the latest Alhurra program to be based in Egypt; other shows include Hiwar Cairo, Street Pulse and Cairo serves as one of the main bureau of Alhurra’s flagship program Al Youm. Sit B’Mit Ragel premieres on March 26th and airs Saturdays at 10 p.m. (Cairo time). More information about the program can be found at https://www.facebook.com/setb100ragel.
Alhurra is operated by the non-profit corporation The Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc. (MBN). MBN is financed by the U.S. Government through a grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an independent federal agency. (Source: Alhurra press release)
18 March 2016
On March 18, RFE/RL’s Moscow bureau administrator was approached at her home by two unknown men identifying themselves as journalists with Russia’s NTV channel and seeking personal information.
The men, one of whom had a video camera and sought to film the premises, questioned her repeatedly about her income and properties they said she owned in and around Moscow. One of the men said he had received such information from former employees of the Russian Service. The administrator refused to answer the questions.
Nenad Pejic, RFE/RL editor in chief, called the incident “a disgusting example of intimidation,” and said that “authorities in Russia appear to be preparing a case against us because of our journalism.”
NTV is a Kremlin-controlled channel known for conducting defamation campaigns against independent journalists, opposition journalists, and civil-society activists in Russia.
The incident comes one week after an edition of the popular television program News Of The Week With Dmitry Kiselyev, the Kremlin’s lead propagandist, portrayed RFE/RL journalists as spies conspiring against Russia. During the show, Kiselyev announced that a documentary about U.S. international broadcasting would be forthcoming.
RFE/RL’s Russian Service, known locally as Radio Svoboda, operates out of a Moscow bureau and RFE/RL’s headquarters in Prague.
In 2015, Radio Svoboda was the second most-cited radio station in Russian social media, according to the Medialogia agency, right behind Ekho Moskvy.
Last year, 430 million people visited RFE/RL websites, where they viewed nearly 1 billion pages of original RFE/RL content. Within that audience, RFE/RL’s Russian-language sites provided 266 million pages of content to almost 170 million visitors. RFE/RL Russian-language Facebook pages registered almost 23 million engaged users last year.
About RFE/RL and its Russian Service
RFE/RL is a private, independent international news organization whose programs — radio, Internet, television, and mobile — reach influential audiences in 23 countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG).
RFE/RL’s Russian Service, Radio Svoboda is a multi-platform alternative to state-run media, providing audiences in and around the Russian Federation with timely and balanced news, analysis, and opinion.
(Source: RFE/RL press release)
10 March 2016
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE WILL OFFER VIDEO COVERAGE OF SPORTS NEWS AND MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS FROM APRIL 4.
Aimed at both general media and sports specialists, AFPTV Sports will offer images, interviews and original reporting in an editable format.
This video offer will focus on news and major competitions, covering press conferences, training sessions, supporters and technology, as well as economic, lifestyle and legal issues.
Present in 150 countries, AFP covers sport in all its diversity – from the major European national football leagues to the Champions and Europa Leagues, plus rugby, cricket and other leading sports.
In 2016, a year particularly rich in major sports events, AFP will offer in-depth coverage of the Euro football championship in France, the Rio Olympics and the Copa América Centenario.
“This new product confirms AFP’s two strategic priorities — sports and video,” said AFP chairman Emmanuel Hoog. “With this video product dedicated to sports, AFP further strengthens the quality of service offered to clients and shows again that it has become a leading video agency.”
About AFP
AFP is a global news agency delivering fast, accurate, in-depth coverage of the events shaping our world from conflicts to politics, sports, entertainment and the latest breakthroughs in health, science and technology. With 2,326 staff spread across almost every country, AFP covers the world 24 hours a day in six languages. AFP delivers the news in video, text, photos, multimedia and graphics to a wide range of customers including newspapers and magazines, radio and TV channels, web sites and portals, mobile operators, corporate clients as well as public institutions.
(Source: AFP press release)
10 March 2016
According to an Ipsos survey of TV news consumption conducted in 38 countries out of 100+ where RT broadcasts are available, 70 million people watch RT channels every week1. Half of that number – 35 million – watch RT daily.
RT enjoys its largest regional audience in Europe. More than 36 million people watch RT weekly in 10 European countries, placing it in the top 5 pan-regional news channels2. RT also makes the top-5 list of most watched international TV news channels in the US2, with a weekly audience of more than 8 million viewers.
11 million people watch RT weekly in the Middle East and Africa, where news consumers were polled in 16 countries. In India RT has weekly viewership of 7 million; only the English-speaking population, which accounts for just over 10% of the country’s total, was included in the study.
“For the tenth anniversary of RT’s broadcasting we conducted the most extensive study of our TV viewership in the network’s history, covering 38 countries across Europe, Asia, North and South America, the Middle East and Africa, through Ipsos, a leading firm in audience research,” said Margarita Simonyan, RT’s editor in chief. “35 million people watch us daily, and we are successfully competing with long-established channels worldwide. In 10 years we have truly succeeded in making our voice heard around the world.”
“Ipsos has decades of experience in international audience measurement, and we’ve worked with dozens of premiere broadcasters from around the world. We are happy that RT chose Ipsos to conduct their biggest audience survey yet,” – said Elie AOUN, CEO, Ipsos Connect MENAP.
Notes to Editors
1 The study was conducted in 38 countries, with a representative samples of the total population through telephone or online interviews, between August-November 2015, by Ipsos, a leading global audience research company. The study was carried out in Russia, Poland, Greece, Ireland, UK, Turkey, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, USA, Canada, Venezuela, Ecuador, Argentina, Peru, Mexico, Columbia, Chile, India, New Zealand, Australia, Libya, Palestine, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Lebanon, Tunisia, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Iraq, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Nigeria.
2 In these regions RT was measured alongside CNN, BBC World News, euronews, Sky News, France 24, Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle TV, China’s CCTV and Japan’s NHK.
(Source: RT press release)
9 March 2016
In the presence of over 1,800 executives and prominent personalities from the business, media, advertising, creative and communication industries in MENA region, the Dubai Lynx Festival, in its 10th edition, awarded “Personality Of The Year” award to MBC Group Chairman Sheikh Waleed Al-Ibrahim, for his outstanding contribution and achievements in developing the media industry and enhancing the advertising scene in the MENA region.
The award comes as an appreciation of the constructive efforts of Al-Ibrahim in strengthening the links between leading international and local brands on the one hand, and consumers on the other hand through the various channels, platforms and services offered by MBC Group.
The award is further considered as a tribute to the role Al-Ibrahim played in outlining the media and advertising sectors in the region, through the provision of better media & entertainment experiences that live up to world class standards.
In a brief speech on the sidelines of the award ceremony, Sheikh Waleed Al-Ibrahim praised the remarkable developments witnessed by the Dubai Lynx Festival, year after year, both in terms of the number of participants, and the positive echo and resonation it has created regionally and globally, which it enjoys today.
Al-Ibrahim stressed on the importance of the concept of “creativity & innovation” embodied in the festival, and its association with the vision and approach that reflects the majestic image of the city of Dubai, led by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Al-Ibrahim considered the importance of “Personality Of The Year” comes at a time whereby we witness a cross-road and articulate period that requires us to reallocate our media priorities.
Therefore the challenge that remains ahead of us is in our ability to take advantage of the information and communication revolution, and harness it in building knowledge economies to further develop the media industry, promote the advertising industry and the commercial and consumer markets, and enable cultural movements within our societies.
Al-Ibrahim concluded: “I dedicate this award to everyone in both the advertising and communication industries in general, and MBC Group employees in specific, each in his/ her geographic location, that helped uplift our media work flow. And above all, this success wouldn’t have been achieved without our strategic commercial partner, as there is no successful media without advertising partners and returns as well as sustainable commercial revenues”.
From his part, Terry Savage, Chairman, Dubai Lynx, said it had been both ‘an honor and privilege’ to recognize such a prominent and respected figure. “Over the course of 25 years, Sheikh Waleed Al-Ibrahim, has been responsible for multiple, significant contributions to the development of the Media & Entertainment industry in the MENA region and we are delighted that we could celebrate this during the 10th edition of Dubai Lynx.”
Testimonials about Sheikh Waleed Al-Ibrahim:
The award ceremony included a testimonial video promo from prominent CEO’s of major international and regional companies that focused on Sheikh Waleed Al-Ibrahim’s role and mark in shaping the media and advertising sectors:
– Dr. Amina Al Rustamani, CEO, TECOM Business Parks: “I consider myself very fortunate to have the opportunity to work closely with Sheikh Waleed Al-Ibrahim; he is a great mentor, and a teacher, and I definitely learnt a lot from him”.
– Yves Manghardt, Chairman & CEO Nestle Middle East FZE: “The difference between a dreamer and a visionary is that the dreamer has his eyes closed; the visionary has his eyes always open said Martin Luther King. The 2016 Advertising Person Of The Year is a true visionary; in fact, tele-visionary with his eyes always open”.
– Dani Richa, Chairman & CEO IMPACT BBDO: “Sheikh Waleed is the game changer; he changed news in our region to become more objective, transparent, and credible. Sheikh Waleed changed entertainment as the Arab world knows it, taking TV to new heights. I strongly believe that his vision has helped shape relationships between brands and consumers”.
– Mohamed Samir, President Procter & Gamble India, MEA & Africa: “Sheikh Waleed, since the start of MBC, has shown the vision for connecting with people, all across the Arab world in a friendly and high quality way”.
– Sanjiv Kakkar, Execuitve Vice President, Unilever MENA: “Over the years, MBC has truly democratized media across the Arab world, providing a cohesive force across the MENA region, serving to improve the quality of Arab performing arts and content across the region”.
– Akram Miknas, Chairman Promoseven Holdings: “We rose with MBC Group; we rose it to the world standard; today MBC can stand one-to-one with any international television station and can proudly and easily say we are as good if not better in many cases”.
– Raja Fares Trad, CEO Leo Burnett & Publicis Group MENA: “MBC Group’s impact on the lives of people, every second of the day, is a sticking example of how creative content and content marketing can positively affect consumers’ behavior”.
– Roy Haddad, Chairman WPP MENA: “What fascinated me at that time is his commitment to really redefine the media market in the Arab world, which he did; to change the upper cards in the region, which he did; and really force a media revolution. If there is anyone who deserves to be recognized by our industry is Sheikh Waleed”.
– Osman Sultan, CEO DU PJSC: “ For all this, for this achievement, not only we say to Sheikh Waleed how much we admire and appreciate what he did, but we tell him as well how much we love him, for what he is as a human being and how much we are grateful to him”.
– Edmond Moutran, Chairman & CEO Memac Ogilvy: “When you launched the station, I said hey, where is he gonna go? And he said to me, now that we have launched MBC, the sky is the limit. So here we are Sheikh Waleed, I’m on top of a building, and I am as close to the sky as I possibly
can; I think you are gonna go on, and the sky is going to be your limit all over again, so go on…build us a bigger empire Sheikh Waleed”.
– Pierre Choueiry, CEO & Chairman Choueiry Group: “Sheikh Waleed would be considered a visionary pioneer; to some, a creator; to some other, an outstanding entrepreneur; an exceptional leader and mentor; to me he really is all of the above; he definitely is my partner, but above all, he is my friend. Congratulations Sheikh Waleed, Advertising Man Of The Year, and of ALL years as far as I am concerned”. (Source: MBC press release)
