4 April 2012
With this new contract, the international news channel, euronews, will be available for the first time in Mongolia on the national television channel MNB. MNB, the country’s #1 channel, reaches 90% of the population via Apstar satellite, i.e. 1.8 million viewers with direct reception. In terms of market share, 53% of viewers watch MNB during prime time.
Since April 1st, 2012, MNB broadcasts euronews’ six daily news slots, i.e. two hours per week. After its national news bulletin, MNB will offer its viewers a window to the international news and economic affairs via euronews news and business bulletins. business offers analysis and a summary of international business, economic and financial news. In conjunction with euronews’ editorial team in Lyon, MNB will dub the channel’s programmes in Mongolian.
Michael Peters, CEO of euronews said: “I sincerely thank the Mongolian broadcasting company for their enthusiasm to work with us and to offer our channel to their viewers. This new partnership confirms the rich and independent nature of euronews’ editorial line as well as its appeal outside European borders. This agreement with MNB also provides new exposure in this part of the world between Russia and China. euronews is now broadcast in 11 countries in Asia i.e. to 7 million homes across Asia.”
4 April 2012
GlobeCast has provided videography, production, and creative services for the Men’s Health Urbanathlon 2012, a one-of-a-kind obstacle race organised by SPH Magazines and HiVelocity. Published by SPH Magazines, Men’s Health is Singapore’s leading lifestyle magazine for men.
GlobeCast provided camera coverage for nine urban obstacles over a 14-kilometre course that tested 2,300 participants’ fitness levels to their limit. GlobeCast produced and edited a 90-second race highlight video, which was broadcast on the same day on ESPNews in Asia.
GlobeCast also produced and edited a four-minute official event video, which is currently on the Men’s Health Urbanathlon’s event website and its official YouTube site. GlobeCast also delivered another version that features interviews with the organiser’s sponsors. This latter version showcases the sponsors’ involvement in this event, and it serves as a means of communicating their brand messaging effectively.
“It is an exciting period to be offering our creative services, through which we provide a complete solution for the video needs of this obstacle race. From pre-production planning and scheduling to the actual day of video production, setting up interviews and editing of the event videos, this has been a true showcase of GlobeCast’s expertise and capability in extending our services,” said Wei Khim Cheah, Director of Creative Services.
The videos can be seen on the Men’s Health Singapore Urbanathlon 2012 official website.
In addition to providing creative services in Asia, GlobeCast provides content management and global delivery via satellite and fibre for hundreds of broadcasters worldwide.
4 April 2012
Dubai Press Club (DPC), organisers of Arab Media Forum, announced today its collaboration with Al Arabiya News Channel for hosting a key session on the closing day of the 11th Arab Media Forum.
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the event will run from 8-9 May at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Dubai. The largest media gathering in the region, the forum is expected to draw over 2,000 media professionals and opinion leaders from around the world.
Titled ‘News Channels and Arab Revolutions: Questions about Coverage and Performance’, the session will discuss the stringent professional scrutiny that the Arab and international news channels were subjected to while covering the sweeping social and political transformation witnessed in the Arab countries.
Some of the channels attracted millions of viewers from across the region and worldwide. Analysts and observers deem that a number of these channels barely adhered to professional standards or ethics in their coverage of the Arab revolutions. While some used inflammatory language, the others portrayed subjective rather than objective reporting. A few other television channels even revamped their entire programming schedule in order to provide round-the-clock ‘breaking news’ and televise sensational developing stories on ground.
Analysing incidents and professional mistakes made bycertain establishments in verifying their sources of information, the panellists will evaluate if the mistakes were professional oversights or part of a well-planned agenda and editorial policy.
In addition to exploring the current and future role of the Arab television media, the segment will discuss the effectiveness of news channels and lessons that decision makers at news establishments learnt. Additionally, the obstacles of field work, dangers that correspondents were exposed to and the deliberate jamming some channels experienced will also be highlighted.
Moderated by Muntaha Al Ramahy, from Al Arabiya TV, the discussion will feature panellists such as Ibrahim Helal, News Director, Al Jazeera News Channel, Alexander Nazarov, Director of “Russia Al-Yaum” News Channel, Amr Khafagy, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Al Shorouk newspaper, Fares Couri, Editor-in-Chief, BBC Arabic, and Nakhle El Hage, Director of News and Current Affairs, Al Arabiya News Channel.
3 April 2012
Arnaud Verlhac, aged 37, has joined Europe’s leading international news channel as Deputy Director of Worldwide Distribution, with the role of developing the channel’s international distribution across all broadcast platforms (cable, satellite, ADSL, internet, etc.) and in the out-of-home market (aircrafts, ships, hotels, public places…).
While strengthening the current contracts under which euronews is distributed to 350 millions in 155 countries, Arnaud Verlhac is also tasked with launching the channel in new markets, developing its footprint in the United States and Asia, and increasing its distribution revenues.
Michael Peters, CEO of euronews, commented: “I’m delighted to welcome Arnaud Verlhac to euronews, and particularly appreciate his determined, pro-active personality. He will dynamise our distribution operation beyond its classic commercial function, with the mission of consolidating euronews’ base in Europe, the Middle East and Africa; establishing the channel in Asia; and expanding its reach in the other continents.”
“I’m delighted to be joining euronews, the only news channel in the world that offers 11 linguistic services* and, in addition, distributes them globally,” said Arnaud Verhlac.
“While leveraging our strong existing foundations, I wish to develop euronews’ distribution by ramping up our marketing actions to raise the channel’s visibility. In particular, I intend to dynamise our existing networks of broadcasters and providers, but also to build new networks that will promote the rollout of euronews’ offering. Besides my team’s presence at all our business sector’s big events, I wish to more strongly differentiate euronews in the news-channel space, which is continually growing larger and thus more competitive,” he added.
* Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Ukrainian.
3 April 2012
Dr. Tayeb Kamali, Vice Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology and H.E. Noura Al Kaabi, twofour54’s CEO Designate, today officially opened a new media lab at Abu Dhabi Men’s College.
The new lab has been designed to provide media and foundation students with a new dedicated creative space on campus, where they can go to hone the key skills required to succeed in the UAE’s burgeoning media industry. It will also be used to offer a regular programme of specialised media workshops, industry related seminars and leading industry guests, who will be invited to impart their expertise to the students and drive understanding of the viable and stimulating careers that are available in the region’s media sector.
The official opening of the twofour54 media lab was celebrated with an address from Dr. Tayeb Kamali and H.E. Noura Al Kaabi to a packed room of media students, who were using the lab for its inaugural creative session. The introduction of the new lab marks the first stage of twofour54 and HCT’s wider collaboration initiative to support and promote education and the media industry; the collaboration was formalised with the signing of a MoU in December 2011.
At the media lab launch, Dr. Tayeb Kamali said it was very pleasing to work closely with twofour54 to create such an innovative project designed to further develop students’ media-related skills, “The Higher Colleges of Technology maintain a strong commitment to excellence in education through innovation and technology, and this media lab is an excellent example of our focus on successful student learning outcomes in their chosen fields.”
He continued, “This lab will support creative entrepreneurship and help connect our students to the media and creative industries by preparing them for careers in these fields. Through our partnership with twofour54, we will develop graduates with the knowledge, skills and confidence to contribute effectively to creativity and business in the 21st century and to reach their full potential.”
H.E. Noura Al Kaabi commented on the lab’s opening saying: “Media has been identified as a key industry sector in Abu Dhabi’s economic diversity. We are committed to supporting young people develop their creativity whilst helping them understand the wealth of opportunities that now exist in the UAE’s fast developing media industry. We believe that this new dedicated media lab at Abu Dhabi Men’s College will help empower young UAE Nationals and Arab media students, which will in turn help drive the growth of a dynamic and successful local media industry.”
The media lab is an ideal space where media students can meet to discuss their ideas, and develop their skills. The lab will supported by industry themed seminars and workshops, as well as on-the-job training through internship opportunities for HCT students within twofour54 and its partners, based at its Khalifa Park campus in Abu Dhabi.
twofour54’s mission is to establish Abu Dhabi as a regional media hub. An initiative of the Abu Dhabi government, twofour54 offers world-class media skills training and talent development, supporting creative entrepreneurship and providing enabling production, post production and broadcast facilities from its integrated campus.
3 April 2012
Following a successful first season, and after a flood of viewer requests and positive social media polls, MBC has announced the immediate production of a second season of “04”.
Since January, viewers have been witnessing the dramatic struggles of 4 young housemates (Ziad, Abdel Aziz, Wisam and Hassan) living in the cosmopolitan city of Dubai. As well as dealing with their own cultural differences each has been seeking to fulfill their aspirations and dreams away from home and their loved ones.
The show has seen a rapidly growing fan base online and is the first to deliver a unique ‘transmedia’ experience for its viewers who literally watch as 04’s characters continue to live outside of the confines of their primetime 30min television slot on MBC4. Fans have been able to engage with these characters through social media sites and last week even saw evidence of the housemates celebrating the birthday of Abdel Aziz – cake, candles and all. Needless to say, hundreds joined in with messages wishing him the best for the year ahead too.
Following the finale of Season 1, many of those online fans from across the region have been expressing their desire for more of this type of multi-platform entertainment. MBC are assuring fans from Egypt and the thousands of other loyal followers of the show that they’ve heard their requests and will exceed their expectations with another season full of surprises and drama – both on and off-screen.
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.
About MBC4
MBC4 is the Arab world’s first exclusive tailored channel for Women and young Arab Families. It broadcasts the latest in top-rated Western content entertainment in addition to locally produced flagship programming. The channel airs prime-time shows such as Dr. Oz, The Doctors, 90210, Pretty Little Liars, Grey’s Anatomy, The Vampire Diaries, Ringer, The Secret Circle, and The Good Wife, among other popular Turkish Drama soaps dubbed into Arabic.
Today, the channel is more geared towards MBC Group’s own local flagship productions, as well as towards some acquired Arabic content from across the MENA region. MBC4 successfully aired the biggest production ever in the Arab TV history: “ARABS GOT TALENT” and is currently in production for Season 2. Moreover, MBC4 has recently reached a social media milestone by exceeding 1 million fans on the Channel’s official page on Facebook.
As of 2012, MBC4 has started delivering the latest in Western entertainment, airing the same time as in the US.
