demonstrations, including controlled ascent and descent, landing systems, stage separation and fuel efficiency. Etlaq, a new launch facility at Duqm, aims to position Oman as a key player in the global space industry while fostering international cooperation in space exploration. EYEBALLS. Space exploration is praiseworthy, but it is capturing the fickle eyeballs that is the prime focus for most of the region’ s content producers. Hasan R Sayed Hasan, our regular MENA contributor, helped by three decades of hard-won expertise in media production and now heading up Master Media in Dubai, admits that the Arab media industry is going through major transformations.
He says:“ It’ s a very dynamic time for media production and broadcasting in the
Arab region. We are witnessing a combination of rapid investment, digital transformation, and new production hubs emerging in multiple countries. While some markets, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are accelerating their media expansion with major infrastructure developments, others, such as Lebanon and Syria, are dealing with political and economic challenges that continue to shape their respective industries. There’ s a clear shift towards digital-first strategies, and OTT platforms are significantly influencing content creation and distribution.”
“ Arabsat helps broadcasters boost audience reach and engagement in a changing media landscape.”- Alhamedi Alanezi, Arabsat.
Hasan mentions Lebanon, once a key hub for entertainment in the Arab world.“ Lebanon’ s media industry is at a crossroads. The country has been known for its vibrant television scene, but economic and political instability has hit broadcasters hard. LBCI, despite many challenges, remains a key player, maintaining a significant presence. Future TV, once a leading broadcaster, shut down in 2019 due to financial constraints and political pressure, but it has recently made a modest digital comeback, hinting at a possible relaunch. Other prominent broadcasters such as AlJadeed TV and MTV are also struggling financially and always experimenting with new digital offerings and subscription models. It is not a secret that political money is what is keeping most of the Lebanese broadcasters alive. While these legacy broadcasters face hurdles, Lebanon’ s independent film and TV production scene is showing resilience. Lebanese drama producers and filmmakers continue to gain regional and international recognition.” SYRIA. Another political hotspot is Syria, which has gone through major political changes recently. Hasan explains how this is impacting media production:“ The fall of Al-Assad’ s regime has led to a shift in Syria’ s media landscape, and it remains to be seen how much independence media organisations will have under the new regime. There is a push to modernise state media, supported by investments from other Arab countries. We will have to wait for a few months at least to see with better clarity how the broadcasting scene in Syria will evolve.”
“ On the production side, Syria has long been known for its widely watched television dramas and for dubbing of international
“ We are witnessing rapid investment, digital transformation, and new production hubs emerging in multiple countries.”- Hasan R Hasan, Master Media series, especially Turkish drama, into the very likeable Arabic Syrian dialect. Both original Syrian drama and dubbed-into-Syrian drama remain popular across the Arab world. With the changing political climate, we hope to see more investment in independent Syrian
productions and potentially greater regional and international collaborations,” he adds.
The traditional powerhouse for media production was once Egypt. Hasan says Egypt’ s media industry is facing a paradox.“ On the one hand, its film industry has seen a decline in production due to economic pressures, especially for rising costs and currency devaluation which have made filmmaking more expensive. However, Egyptian TV drama is thriving. The traditional 30-episode Ramadan series model has expanded beyond the season, with year-round productions catering to an increasingly digital audience. Despite economic challenges, Egyptian cinema continues to receive international acclaim. Several recent films
Eutelsat’ s Berneke and Nilesat’ s Katta
have made successful recognitions at global festivals. The challenge now is to support this talent with sustainable financial and institutional backing,” Hasan explains. SAUDI ARABIA. The‘ new kid on the block’ is without doubt Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom is opening up rapidly, especially to tourism both internal and foreign.“ Saudi Arabia is on a fast track to becoming a major media production hub,” suggests Hasan.“ The NEOM Media Hub is one of the most ambitious projects in the region, already attracting international productions with its state-of-the-art facilities and generous support, adding further incentives to the 40 per cent cash rebate offered by the Saudi Ministry of Culture’ s Film Commission. Not too far from NEOM, the Royal Commission of AlUla, in the Northwest of the Kingdom, has built two Sound Stages and a Music Recording Studio and has already attracted local and international film
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