Media & Advertising Saudi Arabia sets up Big Time film investment fund Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority has set up the Big Time investment fund to support pan-Arab cinema, in Riyadh’s latest push to develop soft power through sports and culture. The authority’s head Turki Alalshikh said during a visit to Cairo that the entertainment authority would act as the Big Time fund’s main sponsor along with […] February 19, 2024
Opinion Media & Advertising After Tucker-Putin, some advice for media interviews There are some words and phrases that always announce 'car crash ahead' February 16, 2024
Opinion Media & Advertising Middle East neighbours can be digitally very different When it comes to internet usage and social media, the region's countries do not necessarily align February 13, 2024
Media & Advertising Tihama board member rebels as group’s losses exceed $37m A board member at troubled Saudi Arabian media group Tihama has rebelled over the company’s decision not to appeal against a court ruling that blocks its rescue plan. Sultan Abdul Latif Nuqli, a non-executive director, has filed a unilateral request to appeal against the Riyadh Commercial Court decision to reject Tihama’s restructuring proposal. The move […] February 12, 2024
Business of Sport Sobha Realty strikes sponsorship deal with Arsenal Dubai real estate developer Sobha Realty has secured the naming rights for the training ground of English Premier League football club Arsenal. Arsenal’s facility in Hertfordshire will be known as the Sobha Realty Training Centre. It is the first time the naming rights have been sold. The deal is part of Sobha’s plan to expand […] February 2, 2024
Opinion Media & Advertising ‘Street of Shame’ can’t lecture about editorial independence Desire of media owners to influence the content of their publications is as old as the hills February 2, 2024
Media & Advertising Saudi TV fights off the smartphone challenge Smart television is holding up as the main platform for accessing sports, news and entertainment in Saudi Arabia, despite the boom in streaming services that can be watched on smartphones, a leading media researcher said this week. “In the past decade there was a lot of transformation in Saudi. New devices, behaviours and trends,” said […] January 30, 2024
Media & Advertising Tihama shareholders call for vote to oust board members Shareholders in the troubled media conglomerate Tihama are calling for a vote to dismiss members of the board. The company, which operates WH Smith shops in Saudi Arabia, said in a filing to the Saudi Stock Exchange that it had received a letter from a group of shareholders who collectively own 10 percent of the […] January 29, 2024
Media & Advertising Saudi media group Tihama to appeal against court ruling The company that operates WH Smith shops in Saudi Arabia is to appeal against a court ruling that blocks its financial rescue plan. The Commercial Court in Riyadh rejected the proposal from media group Tihama on Monday. Shareholders approved the financial restructuring plan recommended by Tihama’s board of directors last month. More than 99 percent […] January 16, 2024
Opinion Media & Advertising The fight for authenticity will keep ad-land busy Mena advertising agencies must master the tricky topic of green credibility January 15, 2024
Media & Advertising Poddster builds on Mena’s podcast popularity Poddster aims to “democratise” Middle East podcast production by expanding its network of recording studios, capitalising on high listener figures and rising interest in independent content in the Mena region. Founded by Vuk Zlatarov and Ivan Zeljkovic, the Dubai-based podcast company plans to increase its number of UAE studios from three to seven, and launch […] January 12, 2024
Markets Shares in MBC rise 30% on Saudi Tadawul debut The share price of media company MBC Group rose by 30 percent as it made its debut on the Saudi stock exchange on Monday. The Saudi group’s initial public offering of a 10 percent stake last month was 17.6 times oversubscribed by retail investors, raising SAR1.46 billion ($390 million). At the opening bell of the […] January 8, 2024
Analysis Tech Reality still beats deepfake technology … for now Technology experts are confident that artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes will not dominate or replace human talent. “It sounds tremendously fake, even when it sounds ‘real’,” Ahmad Haffar, the voice behind Dubai Metro and managing partner at Mindloop Studios, told AGBI. Deepfakes are manipulated videos, images or audio recordings created using AI. They are increasingly commonplace in […] January 7, 2024
Media & Advertising Coming to a movie theatre near you … AlUla It would make the perfect setting for Star Wars or Indiana Jones, but AlUla is developing production facilities that will expand its reach beyond sci-fi and desert adventure movies, making it one of the region’s prime locations for international shoots. The tourist location in northwest Saudi Arabia is fast developing into a mini-city with an […] December 24, 2023
Media & Advertising In the streaming age, the TV stays on after Ramadan YouTube creators and streaming services are changing the face of television all over the world – but particularly in Arab countries, according to executives who attended the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah this month. The entertainment industry in the Middle East traditionally focused on the fasting month, when TV shows could find a captive […] December 18, 2023
Tech Middle East hit by wave of brand impersonation scams Cybersecurity experts in the Middle East are warning of a rise in brand impersonation attacks which persuade unsuspecting consumers to part with sensitive information. International Holding Company, a global investor based in Abu Dhabi, said in a disclosure to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange last week that scammers are using the company’s name and logo […] December 18, 2023
Media & Advertising Modern Saudi gets its close-up at Jeddah film festival The new Saudi Arabia seen on screen at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah is barely recognisable from the country where religious mores prevented the mingling of unrelated men and women, and suspicions of foreigners cast a long shadow. Among the stories being told at this month’s festival are those of a young […] December 18, 2023
Media & Advertising Saudi’s MBC Group prices IPO at top of the range Strong investor demand has led Saudi media company MBC Group to price its initial public offering (IPO) at SAR25 per share, the top of a range published earlier this month. The price implies a market capitalisation of SAR8.3 billion ($2.2 billion) at listing, said IPO manager HSBC in a filing to the Saudi Stock Exchange […] December 12, 2023
People & Lifestyle Saudi film festival showcases growing movie industry The third Red Sea Film Festival kicked off in Jeddah last week, highlighting the city’s rejuvenation as part of Saudi Arabia’s economic reform plans and rapid growth of its movie industry. Stars including Johnny Depp, Will Smith, Sharon Stone, Catherine Deneuve and a coterie of Saudi directors and actors graced the red carpet for gala […] December 4, 2023
People & Lifestyle MBC Group sets price range for IPO on Tadawul Saudi Arabian media giant MBC Group is planning to raise as much as SAR831 million ($222 million) from the sale of a 10 percent stake on the Saudi stock exchange (Tadawul) after disclosing an indicative price range. The price range was set between SAR23 ($6.13) and SAR25 per share, the company said in a statement, […] December 1, 2023
Retail Tihama shareholders to vote on rescue for Saudi media group Shareholders in the loss-making media group that operates WH Smith shops in Saudi Arabia are to vote on a rescue plan next month. Tihama Advertising and Public Relations Company said its “financial reorganisation proposal under the Saudi bankruptcy rules” would be put to shareholders on December 18. The meeting will be overseen by Osama Al […] November 27, 2023
Media & Advertising More deals likely to follow OSN+ and Anghami merger The merger last week between OSN+ and Anghami will lead to more consolidation in the region’s streaming sector, industry experts have said. Kuwait’s Kipco-Panther Media Group, which operates as OSN, will combine its streaming service OSN+ with Anghami’s music and entertainment business to create one of the Middle East’s largest streaming platforms. The Europe, Middle […] November 27, 2023
