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.
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.
2 April 2012
The launch of the AIB’s annual international media excellence awards will take place at MIPTV on Monday 2 April 2012 at 17:00 at the stand of France 24 10.02 in the Palais. France 24 is an AIB Gold Member and past winner of the AIBs.
This marks the start of the call for entries to the 2012 AIBs and the annual celebration of the most inspiring creativity in factual TV.
More details will follow after the launch.
2 April 2012
The launch of the AIB’s annual international media excellence awards will take place at MIPTV on Monday 2 April 2012 at 17:00. It marks the opening call for entries to the awards.
The event takes place on the stand of France 24 10.02 in the Palais. France 24 is an AIB Gold Member and past winner of the AIBs.
The launch starts the annual celebration of the most inspiring creativity in factual TV throughout the world which culminates in the announcement of winners at a gala evening in London on Wednesday 7th November.
30 March 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.
29 March 2012
Recent data from the MAVISE TV database, developed by the European Audiovisual Observatory for the DG Communication of the European Commission, shows the current status of the European television market. MAVISE contains data on the EU markets plus the candidates Croatia, “the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and Turkey.
In the context of national economic crises and competition from new modes of content delivery, the development of television channels in Europe remains stable. At the beginning of 2012, the MAVISE database contains information on a total of 8900 television channels. Of these, 7400 are established in the European Union, and 7900 in the EU and the candidate countries. A further 1000 channels are available in these countries but are broadcasting from third countries (including a large number of satellite channels from outside of Europe).
Regional and local channels represent about 40% of the total channels available. Among the channels available in the EU and candidates countries, cinema (and fiction) and sport channels represent the two most predominant channel genres (when one excludes local and regional channels), with 644 and 575 channels, respectively.
In 2011, 375 new television channels were launched in the European Union. Unlike in previous years where sport was the dominant genre of new channels, in 2011 the growth of HD channels had a major impact on the overall growth of the market.
High definition channels and their distribution
According to data from the MAVISE database, at the end of 2011 there were approximately 612 HD channels available in Europe, an increase from 414 at the end of 2010 (and 274 at the end of 2009). This figure includes both HD specific channels and simulcasts of standard definition channels. Sport remains the most important genre in HD television (approximately 20% of HD channels), followed by film and generalist channels (each around 15% of the total).
The distribution of HD television channels also continues to grow. In 2011 satellite packages offered more than 50 HD channels in Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom and Ireland, and more than 30 in Germany, France and the Netherlands. The strongest HD offers on cable are available in Portugal (40+), the Netherlands and Germany (30+). At the end of 2011, more than 30 HD channels were made available in IPTV packages in Switzerland, Poland, Portugal and the Netherlands. HD channels are now available on DTT networks in eighteen countries (as compared to three networks at the end of 2009).
There are an estimated 20 3D channels broadcasting (or testing) in Europe, and they tend to provide a mix of content such as sport, films and special events.
Growth in the number of platforms and operators
The growth of distribution platforms has also remained stable (see for example regarding the EU in the table below). The number of IPTV platforms and Pay DTT services continues to increase, while satellite packages and cable offers have declined since 2010. This is partly due to consolidation in these sectors.
Digital Switch-over 2012
As we enter 2012, the EU deadline for switch-off of digital terrestrial television is fast approaching. In 2011, a further three EU member states completed the transition: Cyprus, France and Malta, bringing the EU total to 15. A further eight EU countries are expected to complete ASO (the United Kingdom, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Slovakia) in 2012. Delays are expected in Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and possibly also Hungary. Switch-off has also taken place in non-EU countries such as Switzerland, Iceland, Croatia and Norway.
Digital terrestrial television services are quite advanced in several countries, with more than 60% of homes being DTT only in Italy and Spain at the end of 2011. In France and the United Kingdom, 62% and 74% of homes respectively, were using DTT in their homes (on primary or secondary sets).
At the end of 2011, 31 pay-TV platforms were available in 19 European countries. At the same time some planned Pay-DTT services in Spain and Portugal have not materialised, services have ceased elsewhere (Italy) and in several smaller countries the development of a financially successful model for pay DTT is proving difficult.
